MORE than a thousand music lovers will descend on a Cumbrian castle this month for an award-winning festival.

Muncaster Castle will host the Krankenhaus Music and Arts Festival for the fourth time, described as one of the most magical micro-festivals in the country.

Host band Sea Power perform at the Krankenhaus Festival 2023Host band Sea Power perform at the Krankenhaus Festival 2023 (Image: Cumbria Tourism)

It won BBC 6 Music listeners' Best Festival of the Year this year.

The festival takes place over the bank holiday weekend, from Friday, August 23 until Sunday, August 25.

Notable performers include Nadine Shah, BC Camplight, and two sets from Sea Power, the Cumbria-based band that founded the festival in 2019.

Ewan Frost-Pennington, from Muncaster Castle, said: "Krankenhaus has developed a great reputation among music lovers and it's such a cool event to have here in Cumbria.

"The music line up is incredible and you also get fell walking, bird of prey displays, a castle to explore and a campsite in a beautiful location."

Crowds gather at last year’s festivalCrowds gather at last year’s festival (Image: Cumbria Tourism)

Performances will take place in a rustic barn, as well as inside the castle.

The 2024 festival line-up includes names like Snapped Ankles, Goat Girl, and Teeth Of The Sea.

Sea Power co-frontman Jan Wilkinson said: "Krankenhaus is amazing music and authors in an amazing setting, in a castle on the western edge of the Lake District.

"It feels wonderful to be able to bring these people to the Lakes, not far from where we grew up, in the village of Natland, just outside Kendal.

"Pretty much from where the bands are playing you can see Scafell Pike."

Singer and songwriter Nadine ShahSinger and songwriter Nadine Shah (Image: Cumbria Tourism)

Krankenhaus Festival has been featured in Time Out's top five global festivals for 2024 and will host talks with musicians and authors.

Some of the names include Will Sergeant from Echo And The Bunnymen, John Robb, and Lovely Eggs Book Club.

The festival will also offer a brass band, a dog show, steam trains, and a mass fell walk, which attracts hundreds of participants on the festival Friday.

The festival starts on Thursday, August 22 for campers.

The price of entry covers four nights of camping, with festival-goers expected to leave by evening on August 26.

The castle and its grounds will remain open throughout the festival, including the Hawk & Owl Centre, which will be putting on flying displays.

Tickets are available for purchase on their website, including discounts for families and free entry for carers.

Dogs are also welcome.