ORGANISERS of a Hampshire music festival are gearing up for their biggest event yet as they release 2,000 extra tickets.

James Blunt, pictured, will headline the opening night of the Wickham Festival next week, and demand for tickets has been so high organisers have pushed capacity to 7,000.

Organiser Peter Chegwyn said fans are coming from across the globe to see the You’re Beautiful singer at the intimate gig.

“The response has been astonishing,” he said.

“We have always operated with a capacity of 5,000 but we have had to apply for an extension and we are very grateful to Winchester City Council for granting it.

“We now expect to have 7,000 fans on site making it the biggest event we have ever staged. But even with the extra tickets, we still expect to sell out before next week.”

To buy tickets go to ticketsouth.co.uk or visit wickhamfestival.co.uk.