THIS weekend sees the return of the glorious Beat-Herder Festival to the Lancashire moors.

If you’ve been before, you'll know a fantastic weekend awaits you. If it's your first visit, then prepare your senses for a treat.

Here are six things to look out for: 

The stages

One of the best things about Beat-Herder is the stages, all lovingly crafted from scratch by the team behind the festival which started life as a DIY, free party in 2006.

Whether it's The Fortress (pictured below) - a giant steel citadel complete with fire-spewing turrets - or The Ring - a 100ft diameter bank of earth with imposing walls and a Stonehenge-style entrance - they really are a sight to behold. 

The Bolton News: Fortress stage at Beat Herder.

This year, the newest addition is The Factory where organisers say 'you clock in and never clock out'. Intriguing.... 

The bits and pieces 

The Bolton News: Beat-Herder Festival 2014

Okay, so 'bits and pieces' doesn’t exactly do them justice (there’s a secret SWIMMING POOL!!) but here are just a few of things you can find at Beat-Herder that you probably won’t see anywhere else

  • A hidden heated swimming pool
  • Underground tunnels to crawl through
  • Vintage cars to dance on
  • Underground vodka bar
  • Shack dedicated to Absinthe
  • A church complete with Sunday Service and (unofficial) marriages
  • Quirky shops and stalls
  • A fairground with Ferris wheel
  • Taxidermy workshops
  • Chainsaw carving
  • Vibrator engraving (obviously)

Fancy dress

The Bolton News: Saturday night fancy dress at Beat-Herder 2016. 'R' is for.... PIC: Zoe East

Every year, the fancy dress is a sight to behold. The theme is taken from letters which spell out Beat-Herder’s name and 2017’s letter is D. Fancy dress day is Saturday so when you emerge from your tent, bleary-eyed after Friday’s shenanigans, expect to be met by dinosaurs and the devil to name a few.

The food and drink 

We’ve all been to those festivals where you pay over the odds for a, quite frankly, disgusting burger. Or, even worse, stump up £6 for a measly bottle of beer. Not at Beat-Herder. The food is lovely, the prices are fair and you can even take a certain amount of your own booze into the camping area AND the main arenas. They really are a lovely lot.

The Bolton News:

The Beat-Herder & District Working Men's Social Club

Yes, you heard correctly, there’s a working men’s club. More than just a shelter from the rain (although it does inevitably get packed if the heavens open). Here you can party like it's 1973. Expect bingo, Beat-Herder's Got Talent and a bit of blue for t' dads.

Last but not least, the music

The Bolton News: GOOD TIMES: The Beat-Herder Festival Picture: James Abbott-Donnelly

Obviously, a big factor of any festival is the acts and Beat-Herder has got us covered. Dance music, dub, reggae, house, psytrance, techno, indie, rock, psychedelic, drum & bass and dubstep are all there, across 21 stages. Here is just a flavour of the acts you can enjoy between Friday and Monday:

The Beat-Herder Stage (main stage) – Crystal Fighters, Kelis, Sleaford Mods, Toots & The Maytals, Trentemoller, Dub Pistols (LIVE), Lee Scratch Perry, The Lancashire Hotpots, The Sugarhill Gang ft Melle Mel & Scorpio, Stereo MCs

Toil Trees - Faithless (DJ SET), Jackmaster, Jon Hopkins (DJ SET), Richy Ahmed, Skream, Mr Scruff

Fortress - Optimo (Espacio), Slam, Solardo Fortress takeover, Altern 8, Darren Emerson, Graeme Park

The Ring – DJ Hype, High Contrast

Trash Manor - Chimpo, Coldcut (DJ SET), Greg Wilson, Cabbage

The Factory - Factory Floor, Max Cooper, Romare (full live band), The Reflex, Daft as Punk

Beat-Herder runs from July 14-16 at Dockber Farm, Sawley, near Clitheroe. Final tickets can be bought via the website until 8pm tonight (Thursday) for collection tomorrow on arrival - beatherder.co.uk