Less than two weeks to go!

This August Bank Holiday weekend will see Colne transformed into a veritable music destination to celebrate the 25^th Anniversary of The Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival.

Thousands of loyal Blues fans from across the UK, Europe and the USA will make their annual pilgrimage to Lancashire to see their favourite artistes – new and old – perform at one of the eight official venues.

And getting there is as easy as ever, thanks to the continued partnership of Festival organisers Pendle Leisure Trust and East Lancashire Community Rail Partnership. They have teamed up again to provide a simple, stress-free rail journey to and from the four day event.

Additional train services are to run over the weekend to accommodate extra commuters and late services will be provided to ensure you don’t miss a moment of this year’s exciting line-up.

And the popular Music Train will once again travel from Blackpool on Friday, August 22^nd to arrive in Colne at approximately 7.13pm. Blues favourites Tom Attah and Fran Eubank will be singing the Blues and picking up passengers on their way to the Festival. With real ale – kindly donated by Moorhouses Brewery in Burnley – and live music on board, what better way to get you in the mood for a weekend of Blues?!

Festival organiser, Alison Goode, said: “Travelling by train is, without doubt, the easiest way to get to and from Colne throughout the weekend. And this way Festival-goers are already in the spirit of things before they even step foot off the train!”

Sponsoring the event this year will be Barnfield Construction, East Lancashire Community Rail Partnership, Matthew Clark brewery, Reidys Home of Music, Coach House and Radio Lancashire.

And the Festival isn’t just for music-lovers, it’s for the whole family! This year the funfair will be situated on the Red Lion car park in Colne town centre. There will be market stalls too, along with buskers and refreshments all along Albert Road, ensuring everyone is thoroughly entertained as they wander from venue to venue.

Additionally, on Sunday and Monday afternoons between 2pm and 5pm, there will be an Outdoor Stage in Colne town centre, providing more live music for people to sing, clap and tap a foot along to!

And you can enjoy the Festival for as much or as little as you want. Tickets for the big names on the International Stage start at just £27.50 or if you simply want to soak up the atmosphere and listen to some great music, then that doesn’t need to cost you more than £1!

Alison added: “Again we have some fantastic acts lined-up – some old, some new and some back by popular demand! We wanted to pull out all the stops for this 25^th Anniversary and hopefully we have done just that!”

For more train travel information, log onto www.communityraillancashire.co.uk

For more festival information, log onto www.bluesfestival.co.uk 

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For further information contact Sue Madigan, Publicity/PR Manager, on 01282 661231 or e-mail [email protected]