The inaugural Under Wester Skies festival was held in 2019. Last year, a week before the event was to be held again, COVID struck and it had to be cancelled.

Thirsty Merc will headline the 2021 event.

It'll run across three days from Friday, March 19 until Sunday, March 21.

The line-up also includes: Andy Nelson, Blue Sherlock, Novel Future, Irene Halloran, Red Bee, Catnip Kaiser, Extractor, Killing Time, Sondernaut, Decimal Point, Little Quirks, Clinton Hoy, The Safety of Life at Sea and Civil Hands.

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The acts will be held a different locations throughout Dubbo to ensure COVID protocols can be followed.

Songwriters and Original Musicians Association Dubbo president Fred Randell said the committee had managed to pull together something quite special.

"The line-ups are just astounding. They're incredible shows in themselves but when you stack them all together over a weekend you just go 'wow'. It's a good way to do a festival in this current climate and a good way to make it work and bring music to town," he said.

SOMAD had also tried to make sure the different gigs appeal to a wide range of people. For example, one event on the Friday night will appeal to fans of heavy rock, while the other concurrent event will be more laid back.

With multiple events and venues, Mr Randell said people could choose to have a whole weekend of music or just pick the acts that appeal to them.

"Our mission as SOMAD is to turn Dubbo into a music city and that means providing music that appeals to everybody, not just our particular taste," he said.

"It's about creating opportunities for our artists to play the music they love, that's coming from their heart and soul, and providing a variety of music for all the different tastes out there so everybody can see something they love."

In addition to the two gigs on Friday night, one at the Commercial Hotel and the other at the Amaroo Hotel, there'll be an all ages, drug and alcohol-free event held on the Saturday in conjunction with headspace.

Saturday night will feature Thirsty Merc, Little Quirks and Clinton Hoy at the Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre.

The final event will be at the Western Plains Cultural Centre on the Sunday with Little Quirks, The Safety of Life at Sea and Civil Hands.

The SOMAD president said last year was tough for musicians.

"We're just super keen to bring this event to town and to get everybody enthused about love music again," Mr Randell said.

Tickets will go on sale this week. More information is available at uwsfest.com.