DAREDEVIL tricks and hair-raising feats of balance will be showcased in a regional festival being launched in Northwich.

The first North West Slackfest takes place at Marbury Country Park on Saturday, May 30, and Sunday, May 31.

Organised by Northwich man Jack Fearon, the two-day festival will feature competitions, demonstrations, workshops and a live DJ.

Jack, 21, said: "There's a similar thing we do every year in London in August, a one-day event which has grown in size in the past couple of years.

"It's a lot more spread out up in the north so I wanted to organise something that brings everyone together and promotes the sport in the area.

"There's already been more interest than I expected."

Slacklining is similar to tightrope walking except that the rope, or strip of webbing, is not taut.

Jack, from Barnton, is a cyclist and a climber and got hooked on slacklining through climbing at university.

"There's just something really addictive about it," he said.

"You start on a small line and as soon as you have a go you want to get to the end of the line and before you know it, three hours have gone by."

There will be workshops and coaching opportunities for beginners at Slackfest, as well as chance to watch some of the UK's best slackliners at work.

Jack said: "It's quite a good spectator sport – tricklining is an impressive thing to watch."

Tricklining, as its name suggests, incorporates various tricks and stunts while balancing on a line slung between trees.

Another discipline is longlining with lines that can stretch as far as 130m.

"It's certainly a lot more fun than people would expect and you get hooked on it quicker than you would think," Jack said.

"It's really beneficial, it helps your posture because it works your entire core and it helps you relax.

"There's a really good atmosphere around the sport because it's such a small sport and everyone involved is really friendly and supportive."

Slackfest takes place from noon to 8pm each day.