GREAT ideas mostly start small, but the childhood friends behind Pembrokeshire’s first festival dedicated to underground electronic music are already thinking big.

“Although this is Westival’s first official year we think it has the potential to become one of the best boutique festivals in the UK,’’ said engineering graduate Joe Worley, who has teamed up with his friend, entrepreneur Jack Lear, to put on the festival in the heart of the Pembrokeshire countryside later this month.

With less than two weeks to go before the first acts hit the stage at Shipping Hill Farm, near Manorbier, on August 31, most of the tickets have been snapped up.

“There aren’t many festivals that cater for music like ours - focusing on a combination of disco house and African dance is quite rare,’’ said Joe, a graduate of Newcastle University who lives in Cresselly.

Whilst the main stage will focus solely on these genres, performing on the smaller stage will be budding local talent covering all bases, from soul, funk and latin to acid, techno and electro. Both Joe and Jack are big fans of underground music and will play at Westival too.

The festival was Joe’s idea and he asked Jack to come on board - the pair have known each other since primary school. “I knew Jack was the perfect person to help the vision become a reality. To put on a festival you need a passion for music and a dream but you must be business-minded too,’’ Joe admits.

At just 24, Jack is the founder and owner of Bodysocks, a Pembrokeshire-based fancy dress sales business with a multi-million pound annual turnover.

The event will run August 31-September 3, and will feature two stages where 50 acts, including the acclaimed German disco house DJ, Lovebirds, Krywald and Farrer, specialising in afro/disco edits, and one of the UK’s most in-demand afro/latin artists, Busy Twist. The event also features a ‘back to the 70’s’ theme on the Sunday with everyone expected to wear their best disco attire.

Jack says Westival couldn’t have become a reality without the support of Pembrokeshire County Council and the local community. The 50 or so volunteers who will help with everything from registration to litter picking get a special mention too. “We have had tremendous support,’’ says Jack.

The event will also showcase local food and drink including beer from the Tenby Harbour Brewery and Wreckers Rum from the Pembrokeshire Distillery.

Most of the festival’s weekend passes have been sold and limited day tickets have now been released.

“Westival has taken a lot of planning, we have been working on it since last October, but the hard work is now done and we will be really thrilled to see everyone come along and have a good time,’’ says Joe.