FOLLOWING the back to back success of the first two Wharfedale Beer and Music Festivals, organisers have raised the bar ahead of this year’s event in Grassington Town Hall.

Festival goers will be able to sample over 50 real ales from breweries across Yorkshire, as well as enjoying a selection of real ciders, lagers, wines and gins. Kendall’s Farm Butchers from Pateley Bridge be showcasing their award winning pork pies, pasties and sausage rolls.

On the Friday night, music lovers will be entertained by local band Dr Bob and the Bluesmakers and U2-2, who according to Madness legend Suggs, are “the greatest U2 tribute in the world”.

On Saturday night revellers can enjoy, the “human jukebox” Mark Frith, followed by Cumbrian based Hardwicke Circus, fresh from their nationally acclaimed performance at Glastonbury.

For sporting enthusiasts, there’s an international flavour with England’s world cup warm up with arch rivals Germany being beamed live onto a big screen on the Friday night and their rugby union counterparts taking on Argentina on Saturday afternoon.

Skipton and Ilkley based estate agents Dale Eddison will once again be the main sponsor and organisers, the Wharfedale Charitable Trust (WCT), are hoping they can top last year’s fund raising total which saw local good causes benefit by more than £13,000.

Trustee Gerard Simpson, from Arncliffe is urging the public to support the event in numbers once again. He said: “We are delighted and extremely grateful that Dale Eddison, along with the vast majority of last year’s corporate sponsors have pledged their support again but would urge any other interested parties to get in touch. We have pushed the boat out with our music offering this year and I’m pleased to say tickets are selling fast once again. We hope for another sell out with over 1200 people visiting Grassington over the weekend."

In addition to a special sponsors session to be held at Grassington Town Hall on the afternoon of Friday, November 10, there will be public sessions on the Friday night fro, 6.30pm, the afternoon and evening of Saturday, November 11 (doors open 12.30pmand 6.30pm) with all tickets priced at £10 to include four food and drink tokens; six on Saturday afternoon.

Once again, all proceeds will go towards worthy causes in Upper Wharfedale with the WCT looking to continue their support for community transport links between the villages throughout Upper Wharfedale and the neighbouring towns of Ilkley and Skipton; junior sports development at the Upper Wharfedale Cricket Club, Wharfedale Rugby Club and Grassington Juniors Football Club, Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue and Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Further information can be found on the festival website, www.wharfedalebeerfestival.com where entry tickets and bus tickets from Buckden, Ilkley and Skipton can now be purchased. Tickets are also be on sale at the Flying Duck in Ilkley, the Sound Bar in Skipton, the Craven Arms in Appletreewick, the Foresters Arms and the Wine Shop in Grassington and the Blue Bell in Kettlewell.