The 8th Pendle Beer Festival - proudly brought to you by East Lancashire CAMRA - will open its doors to the public from Thursday 2nd to Saturday 4th February 2012. The organisers are in training to bring you the very best real ales in the country. This year's "Champions" theme means many local, regional and national award-winning beers will be showcased at East Lancashire's premier festival! Over 75 real ales and ciders will be available to sample, and judging by last year's record crowd of over 2300 visitors, people appreciate the care and attention CAMRA volunteers give to serving beer in tip top form. Locals and visitors alike will be pleased to know Pendle Leisure Trust have made The Muni Theatre, Colne, available once again, and we intend to ensure that everyone who comes enjoys the event and supports the Pendleside Hospice fund-raising events we have planned. We hope to see you at the 8th Pendle Beer Festival!

Here’s a run down of what will be on the live stage throughout the festival...

Friday Night
Vicky and the Big Combo – 8.00pm
Vicky and her band are back again by popular demand to fill the festival headline spot. They have made quite a name for themselves across the North West with an eclectic mix of covers from artists as diverse as Tina Turner, Bob Marley, Snow Patrol and ZZ Top.

Saturday Afternoon
Scuppered
Traditional folk, ’60s pop, contemporary folk, country, Scottish dance and original material with more than a smattering of the band’s enthusiastic humour thrown in for good measure.

Queen and Country
Unique harmony-based country-style band playing music influenced by Bruce Springsteen, Ryan Adams and Brian Wilson.

Stephen Wagstaff (Waggy)
The beer festival’s own virtuoso English concertina player. Waggy will play us a wide selection of lively tunes to get everyone’s feet tapping.

Saturday Evening
The Witnesses – 7.30pm
Four-piece rock ‘n’ roll band from the North West that play a potent mixture of homegrown blues, R’n’B and country music. Find out more at www.thewitnesses.co.uk