THE town of Stow-on-the-Wold will travel back in time to the 17th Century for a three-day festival at the end of the summer.

The first Cotswold Festival will be held in the town centre on the weekend of September 25-27 to celebrate the town’s medieval origins.

A highlight will be a civil war reenactment performed by Colonel Pickering’s Regiment of the Sealed Knot. Stow was the setting for the last battle of the civil war in 1645.

Among the attractions for the expected 5,000 visitors are an antiques trail, farmers market and country dancing.

And the Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir will perform a concert in St Edward’s Church on Friday night.

The festival is a follow up to the charter fair held in 2007 to mark the 900th anniversary of Stow’s town charter.

Festival committee secretary Sue Jones said: "The show will be a celebration of Cotswold life, history and craft. It’s a similar thing to the charter fair but on a much bigger scale and over three days."

For more details of the festival visit www.cotswoldfestival.com