Thousands expected for rescheduled three-day festival celebrating Northampton's diverse community with social distancing

A three-day festival celebrating Northampton's diverse community is going ahead in September with thousands of people social distancing.

Kaya Festival will have strict rules about dancing, cleanliness, queues and campsites when it returns to Overstone Park from September 11-13.

Headline acts include a DJ sets by Terry Hall from The Specials, BBC Radio 6 DJ Don Letts and a performance from Jamaican singer Lee 'Scratch' Perry.

Organiser Thabani Nyoni said: "Kaya promises to be a party that fights back against Covid-19 and brings the local community back out in celebration at this fantastic three-day camping festival held in Overstone Park, a beautiful scenic site.

"Kaya really is a cultural community festival in the heart of Northampton, we are inviting families and individuals from the community to come and let their hair down in a fun and safe environment."

Kaya, which means 'home' in Zulu, was due to take over Overstone Park from July 24-26 but got pushed back because of the coronavirus pandemic.

But Thabani and his team have come up with a plan for the festival to go ahead in September after the government announced outdoor music performances were permitted with social distancing.

Visitors will be asked to dance from where they are based rather than gathering around the stage but non-permanent sprays can be used to mark your zone.

The number of campers has been more than halved to 1,500 to make sure everyone has enough room with 500 day tickets sold.

Temperatures will be checked on arrival with hand sanitisers dotted around the site, while long queues are expected as toilets are cleaned more regularly.

As well as the all-male headline acts, the organisers said the Queens of Kaya set will celebrate a number of different female artists.

Day tickets start from £35 but entry is free for children under five — weekend camping tickets start at £80. For more information, visit kaya-festival.com