The Chippenham beer festival will come of age this year as it turns 21, with space for 2,000 real ale fans to pour into at the Olympiad.

The ever-popular event, which started out as a small festival in the Neeld Hall, has doubled its supply of ciders for this year, and will also feature 100 beers and a number of perries.

Gareth MacDonald, chairman of the Chippenham Beer Festival organising committee, said he has high hopes it will be the best year yet for the festival.

“It’s a big year for us,” he said.

“I’ve been a part of it all since the first one. I was walking down the High Street with my wife doing some shopping when I saw a lady giving out leaflets for a beer festival. We went straight along to it as it was just down the road in the Neeld Hall, and I’ve been involved ever since. It’s a wonderful thing to be a part of. This year, we’re looking for punters. At capacity, we can fit 2000 people into the sports hall of the Olympiad. It’s very important for us to be able to help people find a beer, cider or perry they can enjoy that they might not have tried before.”

Mr MacDonald said the event draws in people from across the UK, with women making up around half of the visitors.

“About 50per cent of everyone who comes along is female, which is what we’re aiming at,” he said.

“We don’t want any adult to be excluded. One of the things we do a bit differently is to offer tasters to everyone. It means you don’t have to have half a pint of something you hate to force down. In our history, there’s only been one person who couldn’t find anything there that they didn’t like, and that person was a teetotaller. We are proud that we can help anyone to find a new drink to keep an eye out for the next time they go to the pub.”

Tickets for the event, which spans across April 27 and 28, are now on sale at the Olympiad or by making a cheque out to NWWilts CAMRA, PO Box 2882, Chippenham, Wilts, SN14 6WT.

All three of the sessions include a free glass, and £2 worth of tokens free for CAMRA members.

On Friday, the event is on between 6pm and 11pm for £6, with no music.

The lunchtime session on Saturday is from 11am until 3.30pm at £4 for a ticket, with music, and the evening session from 7pm until 11pm also has music, with tickets costing £5.

For more information click on the link below.