NOUGHTIES chart favourites Toploader and 70s pop legends Showaddywaddy will be entertaining music lovers at this year’s Middlewich Folk and Boat (FAB) Festival.

Organisers of the annual event, which runs from June 13 to 16, promise this year’s event will be ‘the best’ yet, with performances also lined up from acclaimed singer-songwriter Emma Stevens, electro swing band Electric Swing Circus and Macclesfield rock duo The Virginmarys.

Dave Thompson, Middlewich Town Council’s events manager, said: “This will be our 29th festival and every year we aim to build on the success of the last event and make it the best we can offer to showcase our fabulous town and its waterways.

“This year the main stage will feature more folk less rock in an effort to get back to our roots as a folk and boat festival. However, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to offer something special on the Saturday night – Showaddyway, a household name and great fun. Even better, there’s free admission.”

The festival will also feature a host of entertainment at fringe venues, plus a host of stalls and attraction in and around Middlewich.

Dave added: “Another feature of the festival is the floating market with brightly-coloured boats selling everything from cakes and crafts to ironwork and paintings. They stretch from Town Bridge to the Big Lock – a real spectacle in itself. They will be back in full force this year after the repair works to the Shropshire Union, really helping to celebrate Middlewich’s canal heritage and natural assets.”

Official FAB Fringe venues this year are The Big Lock, Boars Head Hotel, Cheshire Cheese, The Kinderton, The Kings Lock, The Narrowboat, Newton Brewery Inn and The White Bear.

Early bird tickets go on sale soon priced £15 for the headline concert on Friday night and new this year is a special £10 ticket for Middlewich residents.

For more information on the folk and boat festival programme and how to apply for residents’ discounted tickets visit fabfestival.co.uk