Cowboy hats will be a must on The Grove as a country and western event heads into town at next year's Ilkley Summer Festival.

The open-air event will join the list of outdoor events which have been growing at the annual August festival each year, giving festival-goers another chance to dress up.

A rock n' roll theme event on The Grove has proved a hit at the last two festivals, with enthusiasts playing 50s music and putting on lively dancing displays. This summer, Rock Along The Grove will return, but country and western fans will be given their own celebration in Ilkley town centre.

Festival director, Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, said: "We'll be encouraging people to come dressed up."

Planning is already well underway for August 2008, and more popular attractions from previous years are set to return. Coun Hawkesworth says there will again be events surrounding Yorkshire Day, August 1, including, it is hoped a performance by a Yorkshire theatre group.

The Continental Street Market is expected to return to The Grove for three days during the festival. Coun Hawkesworth is looking into the possibility of also holding a celebration of Italian music.

The expanded sound and light spectacular, Ilkley Illuminate, is also hoped to make a return, possibly with some of the evening's events moving back to the leafy and atmospheric surroundings of Mill Ghyll.

It is once again hoped that sponsorship from companies can be found for some of the bigger events.