BEE Gees tribute band A Taste of Honey is the headline act at Grassington Festival this year.

Audiences can rock to four decades of Bee Gees hits when the nationally-known group opens the festival on Friday June 14.

Appearing on the same night are The Nightbirds, three female performers who pay tribute to the best female soul groups of the Sixties and Seventies, from Motown classics through to disco.

Major speakers are Fred Dibnah, who has just fronted a BBC 2 history programme, The Making of Britain, and Brian Keenan, the Beirut hostage.

Kit and the Widow, an irreverent comedy act which has featured on television and national radio is another act which is likely to spark a lively demand.

The two groups kick off a fortnight of entertainment, with performers travelling from all corners of the world and an all-embracing programme featuring everything from trumpet to tango.

"The classical content is of the highest calibre this year," said the festival's artistic director Rowena Leder. "They are top in their field; you cannot get any better."

Making a welcome return following last year's foot and mouth epidemic are the festival guided walks and dry stone walling for beginners, both held in conjunction with the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

As for the performers, other highlights include Hungarian guitar duo the Katona Twins, thinking man's comedian Jeremy Hardy, the Lindsay String Quartet, the Israel Piano Trio, internationally-famous pianist Nikolai Demidenko.

There is more music from Canadian folk band Tanglefoot, the Bennelong Ensemble from Australia and Red, Hot & Blue who perform the music of George Gershwin and Cole Porter.

Laurie Chescoe's Good Time Jazz is described as the "best septet of jazz musicians on the circuit" while renowned trumpet player Alison Balson will play a lunchtime recital. Celestial Echoes, whose music is written and arranged specially to be played in cathedrals, churches and chapels, will be performed at St Michael and All Angels Church, Linton, while Musicians of the Globe will perform Shakespeare's Musick and Howarth-based Fiona-Katie Roberts will perform on the triple harp.

Bands and choirs appearing at the festival include Dixieland swingers Sounds 7, the Sedbergh School CCF Band and Corps of Drums, Keighley Vocal Union, the Ever Ready Brass Band, the Sinfonia of Leeds, the Harrogate Youth Jazz Orchestra and the Tewit Youth Brass Band.

Local artistes include Chris and Linda Simpson with their band Magna Carta and The Grassington and Upper Wharfedale Scribblers, whose members will be reading out their own work.

The festival study day, The Genius of Wedgwood, will be presented by Gaye Blake Roberts who joined Josiah Wedgwood and Sons in 1979 and is curator of the Wedgwood Museum.

Meanwhile, BBC Radio 4 will be at the festival to record the show "Quote.... Unquote", the popular quotations quiz. Joining presenter Nigel Rees will be a panel of four celebrity guests who have yet to be announced.

Another first this year is "Grassington Goes Latin" - salsa and tango workshops with two of the UK's top teachers.

Finally, there will be the annual children's day with two performances for local schoolchildren.

Festival brochures, including a booking form, are available from libraries and information centres throughout the area. Alternatively, ring the festival box office on 01756 752691.