A independent Norfolk school is set to welcome thousands of music fans following the launch of the region's newest festival.

The organisers of a Norwich club night have announced the line-up for Play Fest, which will take place in the grounds of New Eccles Hall School, near Attleborough, in May.

A host of star names and up-and-coming bands have already been confirmed for the two-day festival including The Futureheads, Darwin Deez, Little Comets, Kill it Kid, and Norwich-based The Kabeedies.

And officials have pledged to showcase many more local bands after teaming up with the Access to Music college in Norwich and BBC Introducing to provide the acts and backstage talent for the festival.

Organisers are hoping that more than 2,000 festival-goers will attend the inaugural Play Fest on the weekend of May 28 and 29 and aim to make it an annual event.

Olly Sear, who organises the Norwich Rocks night at the new Project club in Riverside, Norwich, said the festival had been in the pipeline for the last two years.

'It is a completely new festival. We are going for 2,500 people in our first year, but you could easily lose 4,000 on that site. We are organising it at the beginning of the summer and because of our price point we would like to think that people will come to us to kick off the summer and then go to one of the big festivals like Latitude,' he said.

More headline acts are set to be announced for the festival over the coming weeks, which will host a variety of rock and indie acts on two stages and will also have a dance tent.

Mr Sear, whose father attended New Eccles Hall School at Quidenham, said the 30-acre site was perfect for a music festival.

'It really is an amazing site. It is such a beautiful area and we are going to be enclosed with big beautiful trees and the beautiful white hall in the background. '

Thirty per cent of the stage time will be filled by local unsigned acts, said Mr Sear, who is organising the event with friends Olly Rigden and Danny Banthorpe.

'We will focus on our region and will have a strong emphasis on promoting local talent in Norfolk and give it a local ethos,' he said.

Tickets cost �55 for the weekend and �30 for a day. For more information, vist www.playfest.co.uk

adam.gretton@archant.co.uk