A MARKET town in the region will be rocking to the rhythm of music for all tastes as its annual two-day music festival gets under way from today.

The Cosmic Rough Riders return to headline the event at Richmond, North Yorkshire, tomorrow night after a successful debut in 2001.

But there are 30 acts in total lined up to perform on three stages on The Batts over the 48-hour period.

There are also some new initiatives for Richmond Live 2003, including Connecting Youth Culture music workshops, which begin at 11am today.

Anyone aged between five and 18 who fancies having a go at being a rock star is welcome.

The best then have the chance to perform in front of a big audience tonight.

Masham's Black Sheep Brewery is also a new supporter of the event and will be supplying real ale to the bar on both nights.

Information about the festival's running order is available from the Richmond Tourist Information Bureau or online at www.richmond. org.uk