AN EVENT which started off as a joint 50th birthday party for a couple of Stourbridge rock fans has now turned into a two-day festival.

Mayday Meltdown, being held at Wilson Hall, in Windmill Hill, Cradley, will see 16 local and national acts perform throughout the weekend of May 2 and 3.

Shaun Roberts, who works in the music industry, decided to expand his birthday celebrations to the wider public.

He said: “It started off as a birthday party as it’s my 50th, but it got so big that we thought about turning it into a festival for the whole local area.

“It is something the local areas needs. It’s terrible trying to get back in the evening from gigs in Birmingham or Wolverhampton so it makes a change to have something local in Stourbridge and the Black Country.

“There are quite a few local unsigned bands, who I know personally, performing and we’ve split it up so the Saturday is heavy metal, with Sunday a bit more ‘classic rock’.

“So far we expect at least 100 people on both days to attend and we are trying hard to make it a proper festival, full of great bands.”

Headlining the festival on Saturday will be Enemo-J while The Mighty Wraith will close the show on Sunday.

Both days will start at 4pm and run till about 11.30pm, with day tickets costing £7, weekend tickets priced at £12, and £8 on the door.

For more information about the festival, including the full line-up of bands, or to buy tickets, call Shaun Roberts on 07988 070104 or visit www.facebook.com/events/1525548541019406/