THE team behind Porlock's new Samphire music festival have announced the event will be returning next year.

This July saw around a 1,000 people dancing away on Porlock Hill for the inaugural festival and the duo behind Samphire have announced that 'early worm' tickets are now on sale for 2017.

The independent music and arts festival on Exmoor National Park got off to a fantastic first year with brilliant performances from Violet Skies, Ardyn, No Go Stop, Crinkle Cuts, Will and The People and many others.

Playing host to some of the UK festival scene’s most magical views, Samphire also had a selection of weird and wonderful features including a giant pingu, sandpits, a wood carved T-rex, mindfulness sessions with hangdrums and fabulous immersive dance and drama performances lead by Allerford-based production company Stacked Wonky.

The festival has been nominated for two awards by the National Outdoor Events Association (NOEA) and the two organisers, Flora Blathwayt and Josh Beauchamp, have been asked to be key note speakers at the awards ceremony in Bath on November 24.

Next year’s Samphire Festival will take place from July 7-9. The three day knees-up will introduce Sunday Funday, with more music, more people, more venues, more day-time activities and quirky workshops.

Limited ‘early worm’ tickets are on sale, head to samphirefestival.com.