The first Sark Roots Festival takes place from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 September on the Channel Island of Sark. The festival will celebrate the land, sea and community of Sark and the neighbouring islands of Guernsey, Alderney and Herm with live music, local food and brews, and creative workshops.

The festival is themed around wellness and creativity with a full live music line up from local artists such as Buffalo Huddlestone, Benny the Moth, Wondergeist, Blue Mountains and Big Sheep plus many more. In the 'Healing Zone' visitors can relax and rejuvenate with reflexology and massage sessions, yoga and meditation workshops, a healing herbs display, vibrational sound therapy and a raw food demonstration. The festival also has a 'Chill Out Zone' with a Chai Café offering chess and backgammon as well as a film tent.

Across the weekend a range of creative workshops offer visitors the chance to try their hand at African drumming, gardening, mindfulness meditation, bee keeping or flax weaving among many other activities. It's a family-friendly festival with a 'Kids and Creative Zone' for all ages featuring a trash band acoustics workshop, slacklining, hula hooping and circus skills, face painting and storytelling.

On the evening of Friday 16 September, Sark's astronomy club leads a guided Moon walk and talk in recognition of the penumbular lunar eclipse. This will be a particularly spectacular show thanks to Sark's 'Dark Sky Island' status attributed to its isolated location in the English Channel, its complete lack of public street lighting and low pollution levels.

For a full list of events and activities, visit www.sarkrootsfestival.com.

Day tickets are £20 and weekend tickets are £50, available at www.sarkrootsfestival.com/buy-ticket.

The family-run Clos Princess Bed and Breakfast, located in the centre of the island of Sark, is offering rooms from £40 per person per night with breakfast over the weekend of the Sark Roots Festival. www.closprincess.sark.gg

Sark Shipping Company runs a regular daily ferry service to Sark from St Peter Port, Guernsey with a journey time of 45 minutes. Return adult fare is £28.50, return child fare is £13.20, and special early bird fares at £24.25, (£6.90 for children) depart at 8am. Infants travel free.

www.sarkshippingcompany.com

Return flights from London Gatwick to Guernsey with Aurigny in September 2016 are available from £100 per person and flight time is one hour. www.aurigny.com

Condor operates ferry services from Poole and Portsmouth, and takes around three and seven hours respectively. Return car ferries from Poole to Guernsey in September are from £190, carrying two passengers www.condorferries.com.