Market Drayton Rock and Bowl Festival to be biggest ever

Organisers of a charity music event are promising to stage the 'biggest festival phenomenon' ever seen in north Shropshire.

The fourth Rock and Bowl Festival in Market Drayton will be held outdoors for the first time at the picnic area in Newport Road after event bosses were forced to turn away 500 people from this year's festival due to overcrowding. At least 2,000 people are expected at next year's festival from June 2 to 4.

It is expected thousands of pounds will be raised for local and national charities.

About 20 bands will be performing over the three days.

Laurence Payne, one of the organisers, said: "The Rock and Bowl Festival came from an idea of putting on a gig for the people of Market Drayton.

"Our main aim was to help out local and national charities and our honest thoughts were that only 50 to 100 people would come to what started off as a small music event.

"But the enthusiasm and support from the people of Market Drayton has been beyond anything we could have imagined and having so many people locked out this year showed that the event had completely outgrown the pub."

Since its launch in 2009, the festival has raised nearly £15,000 for charities.

Next year's event will open with a concert by world-renowned Queen tribute band QEII on June 2 to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Jody Jennings, organising committee member, said: "We're very keen to continue providing the kind of feeling we've generated at the Coach and Horses, but on a bigger and better scale.

"The picnic area is absolutely ideal for what we want to do which is to stage the biggest festival phenomenon Market Drayton has ever seen."

Bands from as far away as Manchester and Southampton are set to perform at next year's festival which will benefit from the expertise of sound engineer Tom Wiggins who works at the annual V-Festival at Weston Park.

Tickets at £9 a day, and £12 for the QEII concert, are available from the Coach and Horses or at www.rockandbowlfestival.com