Organisers of the inaugural Gloucester Folk Trail have released their much-anticipated line-up for a weekend of free live music in the city.

Gloucester pubs, bars and cafés will play host to the county's finest folk musicians from Friday, February 23, to Sunday, February 25.

The venues will be filled with gig-goers as more than 40 live performances take place across the city, ranging from traditional folk acts and Morris dancers to thoroughly modern folk rock.

The Gloucester Folk Trail is one of the first events to be delivered by the Gloucester Business Improvement District with the aim of supporting the city's night-time economy.

Just some of the highlights amongst the line-up are:

Harpers Ferry: This thoroughly modern folk-rock band from Gloucestershire have graced the stages at the Phoenix Festival, Wychwood and Birmingham Jazz and Blues Festival. The band's sound mixes folk, rock and country.

The Jigantics: A supergroup featuring top Gloucestershire Bluesmen Rick Edwards and Mark Cole from Sons of the Delta, along with another favourite of the Gloucester Rhythm and Blues Festival, Keith Thompson. They are joined in this folk-roots project by vocalist and ukulele star, Sarah Kelly, and drummer, Martin Fitzgibbon.

Gruig: A rip-roaring, foot-stomping band are infamous in the pubs and beer festivals of Gloucestershire for their sing-along traditional Irish songs and fast-paced jigs and reels to get you up on the dance floor.

Way Out West: This wonderfully eccentric band bring their folk non-sensibilities to the world of pop. On accordions, fiddle, guitar, banjo and ukulele, the hilarious three-piece help us discover the country roots of the Pet Shop Boys, the folk origins of the Spice Girls and The Smiths and what the Pussycat Dolls sounded like when Julie Andrews was still in the line-up.

Life O'Reilly: This band grew out of the live Irish music sessions held in and around Gloucestershire. Their mixture of guitar, fiddle, bodhran, tin whistles and stunning vocals recreate the much-loved feel of Irish folk music and their live performances show off their love and passion for the songs and tunes of the Irish tradition.

Natasha Roumian, of Marketing Gloucester, which is organising the event on behalf of Gloucester BID, said: "Building on the successful model of the Gloucester Rhythm and Blues Festival, we are really excited to bring the Folk Trail to Gloucester.

"Although this is the first one, we are treating the Folk Trail as a test, and if successful, it will become a welcome addition to the Gloucester events calendar."

Concertgoers are also invited to the Gloucester Folk Trail Preview Night on Thursday, February 22, with a gig at TANK and an Open Mic event at The Old Bell.

For more information visit www.gloucesterfolktrail.com  or search for 'Gloucester Folk Trail 2018' on Facebook.

Picture captions: Harpers Ferry, top, and The Jigantics