A FESTIVAL atmosphere will to return to the canal in Oxford with a popular community event later this year.

Details have been revealed for this year’s Oxford Canal Festival as organisers urged people to get involved with making it a roaring success on September 8.

The popular dog show will be back along with the ‘canal olympics’, a fancy dress parade, live music, food, drink and canal walks.

Festival directors Steph Pirrie, leader of the Jericho Singers, and local city councillor James Fry have assembled a team of volunteers and have already put together a stellar line-up of musicians and entertainment at Aristotle Lane Recreation Ground.

Mrs Pirrie, said: “The festival is a free community event and we want everyone to join in from practical support to decorating boats and canalside gardens, and dressing up - there will be prizes for the best.

“We are very keen to create a festival atmosphere along the canal towpath.”

The musician, who will performing at the festival, has also helped organised two other events before and after the festival to turn the event into a three-day celebration of Oxford’s canal.

The mother-of-three said: “The music continues beyond the festival day itself as we have two wraparound events, a jam session with musician Ben Avison in the White Hart at Wolvercote and The Big Canal Ceilidh in St Barnabas Church, where everyone’s invited to let their hair down.”

In May, an auction, which included signed special edition books donated by Philip Pullman, Mark Haddon and John O’Farrell, raised almost £9,000 towards putting on the festival.

The auction at Al Shami Restaurant in Jericho was attended by more than 50 people and included a range of prizes from holiday home stays, singing lessons and sourdough bread making courses.

As a result the musical line-up is better than ever.

Ugandan multi-instrumentalist Seby Ntege and his band will head the line-up after appearing at Latitude Festival earlier this month as well as Cowley Road Carnival.

Bristol band The Hawkmen will also be performing along with The Jericho Singers, Ben Avison - currently working on a new album from his boat on Oxford Canal - and The Idle Women.

The festival starts on Friday, September 7 from 7.30pm at the White Hart in Wolvercote and the main event starts at Aristotle Lane Recreation Ground at noon the following day.