AN EXCITING finale to this year's Okehampton Battle of the Bands is in store at Simmons Park this weekend.

The competition kicked off in July, and with the three qualifying heats now over, Saturday's Party in the Park will see the four bands who have navigated their way to the final take to the stage, along with headline act the Bohemians, a Queen tribute act.

The evening promises a night of fun for the whole family, with sport from OCRA, a bouncy castle, catering from Okehampton Lions, face painting and catering from Okehampton Round Table, a licensed bar from the Plymouth Inn, and Tony King acting as compère for the event.

The first band to qualify for the final were 3's a Crowd from Tavistock. The band impressed the judges with their unique take on classic covers, performing crowd-pleasing material with an original twist.

2011 finalists Ten Zero One were the last band on stage in the second heat, and having spent the last two years polishing their act, their slick performance saw them through to the final.

The third and final heat was won by Okehampton's own DownFall, a band counting Black Sabbath and Motley Crue among their influences. They will be joined by wildcard entrant Fifty Shilling Tailors, a rock band reminiscent of the Britpop era of the 1990s.

Event organiser Chris Hodgson said: 'The Party in the Park finale covers every genre. The 50 Shilling Tailors are an indie rock band, reminiscent of Oasis, with a very charismatic front man.

'3's a Crowd from Tavistock are a very fun band and very unusual. They give really unique takes on classic songs, and the crowd should love them.

'Okehampton band DownFall were fantastic in the heats, like Alice Cooper meets Iron Maiden meets Guns 'n' Roses. Ten Zero One return from two years ago, and they play more mainstream rock. They have improved a lot in those two years, so it should be a great contest.

'The Bohemians are a fantastic act too, and a top tribute band. I can not wait to see what they do on the night.

'While we ask for donations the more important thing is that we get a big crowd down to the park.

'These bands want to play to a big crowd, and that is what we want too — so come on down to the Party in the Park and enjoy a great night of music and entertainment.'