A Northumberland music festival makes its comeback next Sunday after a two-year absence.
The Glendale Free Music Festival was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to coronavirus, but it's said to be 'coming back with a bang' on Sunday July 24. Alongside family entertainment at Wooler Mart, the Wooler Farmers' Market will go ahead in the town's bus station selling crafts and produce from the local area.
This year's acts include King Size Voodoo Traveller, who have played the festival previously; Antic Hay, an acoustic trio who cover many genres along with their own songs; and Half a Robot. Family entertainment planned so far includes stalls, sports club activities, a children's fairground and the Glendale Community Ceilidh Band, one of the biggest bands of its type in the Borders.
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As well as live music and entertainment, there will be food at the Mart Kitchen, German street food from Memories of the Black Forest and Mediterranean food from Gyros' little Greek Taverna, plus a mobile bar.
A Glendale Festival spokesperson said: "The festival has been running for 22 years and we felt it needed a bit of a shake-up for its comeback. Moving the afternoon venue to the mart means there will be more space to provide entertainment for children as well as community stalls and activities.
"It also addresses access problems, caused by closing the High Street, and traffic safety concerns about people gathering at the entrance to the bus station to hear the music in the evening."
"There's plenty of room at the Mart for the whole festival and the extra entertainment we wanted to put on, with room left over for dancing. We're hoping that people make a day of it by coming to the farmers' market, having their lunch in Wooler and then going on to enjoy the music in the Mart from 2pm to 9pm.
Access problems may become a thing of the past for future festivals - as a six figure investment was announced to help the town cope with higher visitor numbers which have risen during the pandemic. Part of the £650,000 investment will see a new 'overflow' parking close to the town centre, as well as a car park next to Ad Gefrin, listed earlier this year as one of the most highly-anticipated museum openings of 2022 in the Smithsonian Magazine.
Jenny Pollock from the Glendale Committee added: "Visitors would do well to come this year as the new Ad Gefrin visitor centre and distillery open in the autumn and that is expected to bring thousands more tourists to the area, so Wooler is likely to be much busier next year!"
Known as a gateway to Cheviots, there's also lots to do in Wooler besides the festival and visiting the new visitor centre, once it opens. There are several independent cafés and antique shops to peruse if you're not heading straight for the hills.
Jenny continued: "Generally speaking, Wooler is great for walking with both short and longer routes starting from the town or just outside it. There are local history trails around the town and nearby. It's also a great place to explore Northumberland from as it's central to many of the area's tourist attractions."
The Glendale Music Festival is free. For more information, visit the Facebook page.
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