It's that time of year again - the moment to start planning for the best live music festival around.

Some of the biggest names in music are to appear at the Metro Weekender, a two-day extravaganza held jointly in London and Cardiff on August 25 and 26.

There are 40,000 tickets available for the London event, which is being staged at Clapham Common for the third year running and will feature an array of live music and DJs.

On Saturday, August 25, 'South West Four' will play host to Paul Van Dyk - voted the world's No.1 DJ for two years running by DJMag - Sasha, Roger Sanchez, Judge Jules and Pete Tong.

There will also be sets from upandcoming acts such as SOS and Omid16B.

In the tents, John Digweed will present an international mix of DJs, with Argentine Hernan Cattaneo, Eric Prydz from Sweden and Sander Kleinenberg from the Netherlands all set to get the crowd dancing.

On Sunday, August 26, Get Loaded in the Park will be headlined by Mike Skinner's The Streets, one of the world's most innovative bands, whose last two albums reached No.1 in the UK charts.

The Metro Weekender will be The Streets' only live festival appearance in 2007.

Last year saw Pete Doherty's band Babyshambles take to the stage. This year it is his former Libertine bandmate Carl Barat's turn, as his group Dirty Pretty Things rock the common.

It follows a busy 2006 for the group, when they launched their debut album Waterloo to Anywhere and thrilled crowds at festivals across the globe.

Rapper Dizzee Rascal, who will release his third album, Maths and English, later this year, will also appear at Get Loaded in the Park, along with a variety of DJs.

Tickets for the party are bound to be snapped up quickly so book early to avoid disappointment.

Standard tickets at the London event are £35, plus a booking fee, and are available from www.ticketmaster.co.uk or the 24-hour hotline 08700 601 801.

Dozens of more acts and DJs will be announced over the coming weeks.

For more information go to:
www.southwestfour.com
www.getloadedinthepark.com
www.metroweekender.com