It's come to life. The first Mercury Bay Music Festival has been set for Queens Birthday Weekend, from Friday, June 3, through Sunday, June 5.

It'll cover a broad spectrum of music including folk, jazz, big band, world, J-Pop (Miho's Jazz Orchestra), blues and acoustic.

Don McGlashan, pictured here playing acoustic guitar, is one of many acts to be performing at the Mercury Bay Music Festival next month.

Organisers say the acts have been selected not only for their talent but for their ability to reflect the essence of the Coromandel – a spirit of community, family-friendly, relaxed and inclusive.

Starting on the evening of Friday, June 3, the first concert will feature local musicians in the Whitianga Town Hall, Monk St.

On both Saturday and Sunday mornings, the music will begin around 11am with performances in both the Town Hall and the Blue Lagoon on The Esplanade behind the Mercury Bay Game Fishing Club.

Featured artists for the festival include Don McGlashan, Mel Parsons, Hamilton County Bluegrass Band, Miho's Jazz Orchestra and Wellington band Hobnail. They will perform concerts on both Saturday and Sunday at both venues.

On Sunday morning, there will also be a gospel music concert organised by another featured performer Anita Prime at the Crossroads Encounter Fellowship Church in Whitianga.

Workshops will be run over the weekend by participating artists including Don McGlashan, (song writing) Richard Gilewitz (guitar), Caitlin Smith (vocal styles) and the Big Muffin Serious Band taking one of their famous ukulele workshops.

Another attraction at the festival will be the Young Guitarist Award with participants coming from all over New Zealand to compete for a place at the Tommy Emmanuel Guitar Camp in New York later that month.

There will also be buskers and open mic sessions – where the next big talent might be spotted.

The idea of the Mercury Bay Music Festival took off 18 months ago when Peninsula locals, Jan Wright and Len Salt met up with Richard Gilewitz, a fingerstyle guitarist from USA. They discussed a festival over breakfast. The rest is history.

Jan and Len and the team from Creative Mercury Bay have gathered support from a host of sponsors including funding from the Thames and Coromandel District Council to make the Mercury Bay Music Festival a reality.

Jan and Len say the vision for the festival is that it be an 'expression of the essence of the Coromandel; easeful and relaxed, flowing, beautiful, inspiring and inclusive and an invitation to everyone to 'come and have some fun with us”.

They say it will also provide an intimate venue where people can experience talent like Don McGlashan or Mel Parsons in a much more accessible setting than in a major city venue like Auckland.

A lot more information on the festival can be found on our website http://www.mercurybaymusicfestival.co.nz

You can also follow festival developments on Facebook on https://www.facebook.com/MercuryBayMusicFestival/ or Twitter on https://twitter.com/MBMusicFest

The tickets for the Mercury Bay Music Festival are on sale on http://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2016/mercury-bay-music-festival/the-coromandel.