THE 27th Baldock Festival kicks off on Friday night with a Beer Festival until Sunday. The event at Brandles School in Weston Way opens its doors at 5pm on Friday and closes at 11pm. Saturday opening times are noon-11pm and Sunday noon-10.30pm. This yea

THE 27th Baldock Festival kicks off on Friday night with a Beer Festival until Sunday.

The event at Brandles School in Weston Way opens its doors at 5pm on Friday and closes at 11pm. Saturday opening times are noon-11pm and Sunday noon-10.30pm.

This year the beer festival will bring live music along with 62 real ales, 20 real ciders and 10 continental lagers for beer connoisseurs

Hot and cold meals will be available over the three days including Indian food.

This is also a family event and there will be a bouncy castle for children, face painting, a sweet stall and plenty of ice cream!

On Saturday and Sunday there is a champagne breakfast at Baldock Community Centre in Simpson Drive, tickets are �8.50 for adults, concessions �6.50 and children �4.50.

On Monday there is an Irish Night at Baldock Community Centre where there will be live Irish music, poetry, story telling and of course Irish dancers. Tickets �10 and under-18s must be accompanied by an adult.

A teddy Bear's Picnic will be held on Wednesday, May 5 at West Way Nursery School between 3.45 and 5pm. Admission is on the door children �1, adults, babies and toddlers free.

If you fancy a knees up go to the Hen and Chickens in South Road on Friday, May 7 where there will be a cockney night with East End food such as cockles and muscles, mash a liquor, roll mops and jellied eels. There will be plenty of music to get the night swinging along.

On Saturday, May 8, it will be open day at Baldock Fire Station and there will be , comedy, sketches and music in St Mary's Church Hall in Hitchin Street from 7.30pm. The following day the first ever pool tournament for the Jake Chapman Memorial Cup will take place at The Shed in Baker's Close, Clothall Road, from 8pm.

The major events are on Saturday, May 15, when there will be a medieval street fair between 10 and 4pm when there will be 50 craft and charity stalls in the High Street when there will also be Morris dancers, trips up St Mary's Church Tower and a medieval food hall at the Baldock Community Centre in Simpson Drive.

Other events on the Saturday are a display by the Baldock Society of old photographs dating back to 1900 and Stevenage and District Amateur Radio Society will be operating a station to make contact with other radio amateurs across the country and around the world.

On the final day of the festival on Sunday, May, 16 there will be a classic car show and fun day outside Brown and Gammons in the High Street from noon until 4pm.