There'll be some fun lovin' festivities at a boutique treat this weekend as the Vicar's Picnic festival returns to the banks of the River Medway.

New York trio Fun Lovin’ Criminals and Starsailor are among the headline acts announced for the family-friendly boutique music festival on Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21.

The Vicar’s Picnic, which will be held by the river at Yalding, will also see Britpop legends Cast, who headlined three years ago, return, along with ska and reggae band The Dualers.

Fun Lovin’ Criminals, who headline the main stage on the Saturday, are headed by Radio 6 Music presenter Huey Morgan and are known for their global Tarantino sampling hit single Scooby Snacks – a term recently added to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Starsailor headline on the Friday. Dubbed Britain’s best new band when they formed in 2001, they have returned with new album, All This Life.

All-female rockers The Sex Pissed Dolls will headline the big top stage with cult act Nine Below Zero bringing their eight-piece R&B band to the big top on Saturday. Also making a return are the Hiwatts.

Bang Bang Romeo, who have just been signed to a major US label, play the main stage on the Friday.

Festival founder and creative director Dave King said: “We are proud to be a true festival – like Glastonbury, built from the ground up – which is something you can feel reverberating around our beautiful site.

“This year’s line-up is a dream come true and has a certain flow about it, with talent drawn from New Zealand to New York City as well as the best emerging talent.”

The festival started six years ago with a group of friends getting some bands together in a back garden, and is now a sell-out 4,000-strong festival, with camping and glamping, a kids’ zone and creative quarter.

DANCE SOUNDS

There's an international line-up of DJs in the dance tent this year.

Legendary DJ Norman Jay MBE, co-founder of the Good Times Sound System and London dance music station Kiss fm, as well as fostering the Rare Groove scene which pushed the boundaries of the UK’s emerging club culture.

After seven albums and a career spanning more than 20 years, Crazy P, who join the line-up are an essential part of the fabric of house and disco. Nightmares On Wax bring blues infused time signatures overlaid by Quincy Jones-esque synth lines while award winning DJ and producer - recently name him Best Ibiza DJ in the International DJ Awards – Mr Doris’ turntable talents fuse his influences of jazz, hip hop, funk and soul with the modern genres of house and future disco. PBR Steetgang have a trademark production style which utilises their love of a body-shaking baseline and crisp beats.

DETAILS

The Vicar's Picnic will be on Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21 in Yalding. For tickets go to vicarspicnic.co.uk

Tickets are also available from Yalding Post Office, Yalding Tea Rooms and The Chequers, Laddingford. Under fours go free.

Two local charities will benefit from the festival - Dandelion Time, which helps traumatised children and their families, and the Kenward Trust, a charity that offers alcohol and drug residential rehabilitation, are both being supported by this year’s festival. There is the option to donate to either when buying online.