Xbox announces the return of Xtival - the ultimate online party weekender. FREE to all, from 27th to 29th November via Xbox  Live, Xtival will feature a live gig from the ongoing US Tour by Tiësto, as well as delivering a raft of exciting entertainment to Xbox users from the comfort of their sofas.

Silver member? Don’t worry! For this weekend only, Xtival is offering you the chance to sample all of the latest Live features from Facebook and Twitter through a series of sneaky peaks at the Gold way of life and the vast range of entertainment available at your fingertips.

Xtival is fast gaining a reputation as Europe’s premiere online festival, and a destination for cutting-edge interactive entertainment. Last year the festival attracted 2 million visitors who joined the Kerrang! rock stage, downloaded hot film titles such as The Dark Knight and took part in exclusive competitions. Xtival Winter 2009 promises to be even better, jam packed with a host of exciting content and experiences.

This year the musical showcase is bigger and better than ever before with enough to keep even the most diehard music lover happy. The Grammy nominated Tiësto will be fronting the dance stage featuring footage from his ongoing US Tour in support of his new album Kaleidoscope. There will also be interviews with the man himself with Inside Xbox.

As if this was not enough, music fans will be offered the chance to download  an exert from the forthcoming Metallica DVD through the LIVE stage as well as a video EP from the Prodigy and full live classic concerts from Run DMC and rock legends ZZ Top.

This year Xtival introduces the ‘cinema’ stage where movie buffs will be captivated by a 4 minute trailer from the highly coveted and much awaited film ‘Avatar’. This footage from James Cameron’s adventure blockbuster will give film fans the ultimate glimpse of the movie pre launch. Xtival will also provide movie buffs with a host of offers on their favourite films, all available to watch in HD with instant streaming through Zune (Instant on HD in Full 1080p requires HDMI cable, HDCP-compliant 1080 display, and 4 mbps broadband speed (all sold separately), and is available with select videos).

The games stage is the place to be for exclusive content to keep fans of all of our Xbox titles happy. For one weekend only Silver members will also get the chance to play multiplayer games online with their friends. Whether you prefer a good sing-along to a Lips classic or the adrenalin rush of racing the Nurburgring in Forza Motorsport 3, we have a range of content and exclusive downloads to suit all.

Xtival will offer more than just great music, movies and games with an exciting range of LIVE content for download and competitions with the chance to win fantastic prizes. Festival goers can also go on the ultimate free shopping spree and kit out their avatar with the latest in winter chic from avatar marketplace and jazz up their dashboard with some Xtival themed backgrounds and gamerpics.

With all this entertainment straight to your living room, why not ring your mates, cancel your plans and chill out with the ‘home comforts’ festival alternative in your living room.