Festival season bounces back after early fears.

The end of the foot and mouth crisis, strong headlining acts, and the promise of sunshine have all added up to a "buzzing" festival season, which is driving ticket sales to record levels this summer.

Already the Mean Fiddler is anticipating a bumper season following the Fleadh's sold-out success on June 16 and the 35,000-plus tickets sold at Homelands (the same as last year), despite the threat from foot and mouth.

Managing director Melvin Benn says he is expecting the August 24-26 Reading event to sell out its 55,000 capacity in a matter of "a week or so" and is predicting that the sister Leeds festival will sell out its 50,000 tickets for the first time in its three-year history. "We had a fantastic Fleadh mainly because the bill was awesome. Neil Young is such a big draw and great value for money," says Benn.

Similarly, DF Concerts promoter Geoff Ellis reports that he expects to sell 50,000 tickets for the July 7-8 T In The Park -- 2,500 more than last year -- and that ticket sales for ...