Forest set to come alive again to the sound of music
The stage is set up and the natural arena of Cannock Chase is ready to welcome thousands of gig-goers to three nights of entertainment.
An all new stage and VIP area features at Birches Valley as our exclusive pictures show, ready to welcome the first headline act tonight, multi platinum pop star Anne Marie.
The 33-year-old has released three studio albums, been nominated for numerous awards worldwide and is known for songs such as Rocakabye, Don't Play and Kiss My (Uh-Oh).
That is only the start of the entertainment with Charlatans and Johnny Marr entertaining music fans tomorrow and Olly Murs on Saturday supported by Daniel Bedingfield.
Limited tickets for all gigs are still available.
Previous years have seen the likes of Simple Minds, Rag 'n' Bone Man and Sam Ryder appear – last time out it was Madness, Paul Weller, Tom Grennan and Jack Savoretti who entertained thousands of concert goers in the natural amphitheatre set in the stunning setting of Cannock Chase.
This year there will be a new Glade VIP area from which visitors can enjoy a closer up view of the artists.
Designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), Cannock Chase is the biggest outdoor pursuits tourist attraction in Staffordshire.
It is one of six forest settings where the concerts are being held by Forestry England, with all the money raised from them ploughed back into planting millions of trees and caring for the nation’s 1,500 woods and forests sustainably.
Rob Lamb, national event manager at Forestry England said: "It's great to back here after a year to do Forest Live and I'm really excited that we're going to have more than 25,000 people back again to enjoy live music in such a beautiful outdoor setting.
"I think this is one of the most perfect outdoor music settings in the country as it's an absolutely perfect natural bowl with a great viewing from wherever you are and a beautiful tree backdrop."
Mr Lamb also said the line up was a good one, mixing older acts with newer performers and said he hoped the event would also teach people about the nature of the area they were in.
He said: "We try and get the mix right with artists to suit all tastes, catering for the older crowd and younger fans, all in, hopefully, really nice and sunny weather.
"The new stage is set and we’re looking forward to welcoming concert goers to Cannock Chase Forest for some amazing concerts in support of the nation’s forests. There’s still time to join us if you haven’t got your tickets yet.’"
For gig goers tonight and over the next two days, the postcode for the festival site is WS15 2UQ and shuttle buses will be running from Rugeley Town Centre or on site parking can be booked from £8.
Limited tickets are still available with full details available at www.forestlive.com