A QUIRKY festival which offers the chance to enjoy music among vegetable patches will come of age this year.

The Elder Stubbs Festival, held at the allotments in Rymers Lane, Cowley, will take place for the 21st time on Saturday, August 18, in aid of mental health charity Restore.

As well as being the 21st time the festival has taken place, it also marks the 35th anniversary of the charity.

The event will have a seaside theme in line with the coral traditionally associated with 35th wedding anniversaries.

Organiser Rosa Parsons said: “The Cowley Road Carnival isn’t happening this year so we are really trying to include everybody.

“We will have all sorts of stalls, food, and perfromances and it will be a day to celebrate what’s around us, certainly in terms of what’s growing in the allotment but also the talents that are around us.”

There will be music from local artists including The Mighty Redox, Creaky Knees, Headington Hillbillies and streetband Horns of Plenty, across a main stage, acoustic stage and a reggae tent.

There will also be dancing displays, pony rides, swing boats, jugglers and falconry.

Stalls from charities with a strong focus on mental health will have a presence, and there will also be a chance to buy some of the produce grown on site.

The event is the biggest fundraising event for Restore, and last year raised £6,000 with between 3,000 and 5,000 people plus children coming through the gates.

Miss Parsons said: “It’s incredibly signficant for us. It’s a massive boost to the organisation financially.

“Last year was our most successful yet by quite a long way – we are hoping to equal that and really pull the community together and celebrate the diversity among East Oxford.”

Service users are already helping create decorations for the event, and planning how to get involved in the day.

Local children have been involved too, with youngsters from Larkrise Primary School creating illustrations for the posters advertising the event.

Organisers are hoping to get some of the groups, such as the dancers and musicians, to team up and perform together.

Miss Parsons said: “Some people think festivals are about lots of drinking and being silly, but this one is no alcohol, it’s only six hours, and it’s really encouaging families to come out and enjoy the day together.

“It’s a very light-hearted and relaxed event.”

Tickets on the door cost £1.50 for adults and children go free.

The festival runs from noon to 6pm.