KESWICK’S Theatre by the Lake and a Workington record label will be warming up mid-winter next year with a new folk festival.

Roots 66 – a weekend-long celebration of folk and roots music – will be held over the weekend of February 5-7.

Incorporated in the festival will be two special showcase concerts celebrating 40 years of Workington folk label Fellside Recordings, as well as a run of concerts under the banner Ireby Introduces.

Friday’s shows at Theatre by the Lake will feature a double bill of Chris While & Julie Matthews, and Jez Lowe & The Bad Pennies.

Saturday’s headliner will be The Mighty Doonans, and Gordie MacKeeman and His Rhythm Boys will finish proceedings on the Sunday, with support from The Ciaran Algar Band.

Fellside Recordings will be having two showcase events on the Saturday and Sunday featuring Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith, Ewan McLennan, Wendy Weatherby, Fiona Cuthill & Stevie Lawrence, Pete Morton, Bram Taylor (Fellside’s longest serving artist), The Hut People, Joe Topping, Greg Russell and Ciaran Algar.

And for those who want to discover new talent, Ireby Folk Festival programmers have picked some of the UK’s best young artists, including Weikie, Lucy Ward and Kelly Oliver.