A HOT new festival of music and dance is set to inject additional warmth and colour to Morecambe - outside of the main holiday season.

Lancaster City Council is currently organising a two-day Latin American Festival, which will incorporate a huge variety of the Latin music, a beat which has contributed to many forms of popular music including the bossa nova, tango and salsa.

Morecambe's Latin American Festival, is expected to draw hundreds of extra visitors to the resort.

The event comes in addition to an already busy programme of festivals including the Festival of Light and Water, the Worldbeat Weekend, the Comedy Festival, the highly acclaimed Jazz Festival, the Golf Festival and the Heritage Gala.

Commenting on the latest addition to the line-up, Council Leader Cllr Tricia Heath said: "This is an exciting and vibrant addition to an already comprehensive festival programme.

It is being targeted at a niche market and will generate overnight stays outside of the main holiday season.

Importantly it is being run by our own Arts & Events team, giving the Council complete control and allowing us to build the festival year-on-year." A proposal for a skateboard and extreme sports festival in Morecambe has been put to the council for consideration.

Entitled 'Extreme Adrenaline' the festival would feature a skateboard competition, bungee jumping, jet skiing, wakeboarding and a ser

ies of dance music events with breakdancing.

Purpose-built, competition-standard ramps would be set up on the prom for the skateboarding.