Shrewsbury Folk Festival delight after tickets sell out

Shrewsbury Folk Festival organisers are celebrating after all the adult weekend tickets for the August spectacular sold out in record time. Top acts include KT Tunstall, Richard Thompson and Kate Rusby.

They and others will entertain crowds of about 6,000 at the West Mid Showground betwe- en August 24 and 27.

All adult weekend tickets and all day tickets for the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the festival have now been sold, with just a handful of Friday day tickets remaining.

The sell-out is faster than the one achieved last year, when all tickets for the festival were snapped up by early May. Existing ticket-holders are still able to buy camping tickets and under-18s passes.

Festival spokesman Jo Cunningham said organisers were thrilled at how quickly tickets have been sold.

"This is a huge coup, more than four months in advance of the festival, for us and for Shrewsbury, especially when other festivals are folding," she said.

"Not only does the festival bring credit to the town it also generates a large amount of money for local businesses as it attracts 6,000 visitors over the festival weekend."

Festival director Alan Surtees said he was delighted at how the festival had grown since it moved to Shrewsbury from Bridgnorth in 2006.

"It has gone from being a small event for local people and folk fans to an international attraction," he said.