ONE half of the electronic music duo Orbital is set to join the  Secret Island Festival on Mersea Island next weekend.

Phil Hartnoll of Orbital will be taking part in the festival. 

The event was founded by lifelong friends Ben Wass, James Dunn, and Matt Prevett, who all grew up on Mersea Island.

Now in its fourth year, the festival will take place on Saturday, July 20, at Strood Field, East Mersea from 12pm to 11pm.

This year's event includes Hartnoll, drum and bass heavyweights, Hype and Hazard, the recently crowned 'Best Female DnB Producer 2023', Kara, Semi Delicious label boss, Demi Riquísimo, label contributor Michelle Manetti and rising talent, Scarlett O’Malley.

Matt Prevett, cofounder, said: "Mersea Island has been used as a place to relax and get away from the city since Roman times, feeling worlds apart from city life with a slower pace, beautiful estuary views and some of the best sunsets in the UK.

"It is clear why we call it the ‘Secret Island’.

"We can’t wait to bring you our fourth event from this special place, in as many years."

SIF has also partnered with Youth Music: the UK's leading young people’s music charity.

Additionally, SIF has made strides in strengthening its community ties by partnering with Rebel Essex, a student media platform for more than 16,000 students at Essex University.

Last year's event pulled in 2,500 music enthusiasts to see acts such as Faithless, The Shapeshifters, Norman Jay MBE, and Dillinja, among many others.

Optimistic for this year, the =team aims to attract 3,000 festival goers, with more than 50 artists performing across four stages.

Tracey Gascoyne, a senior member of the team, said: "Secret Island Festival is more than a festival, it’s a movement, our celebration of music and positivity.

"We are incredibly proud to be able to announce this year’s charity partner will be Youth Music, who do such important work, investing in music-making projects for young people across the UK, who are experiencing the most challenging of circumstances.

"We also welcome Rebel Essex to the SIF family with open arms."

Tickets start at £42.50 and are on sale now at secretislandfestival.co.uk.