A TAPROOM takeover and beer festival will be at the heart of this weekend’s Taste Cumbria festival in Ulverston.

Beerwolf in Market Street is hosting the event as part of the annual food and drink extravaganza this weekend which is back in the town for the sixth year. Hawkshead Brewery of Staveley will be taking over the taproom of the Ulverston bottle store, bringing a big range of beers for visitors to enjoy.

Elsewhere in town, more than 50 traders will bring their food, drink and homewares to the producers market throughout Market Street, Brogden Street, New Market Street and Cross Street. There will also be a host of stalls selling food and snacks throughout the weekend.

An added extra for festival regulars will be the Makers Market which will take place in Market Street on Saturday and Sunday. Visitors will have the chance to see crafty and arty experts in action and buy their wares to take home.

Outside the Coronation Hall there will be children’s entertainment, including arty sessions with a foodie theme, provided by the team from Ford Park. There will also be walkabout theatre taking place throughout the town on Saturday from festival favourites Fairly Famous Family with their crazy Liver Cottage antics.

Festival organiser Anna Chippendale, of CN Events, said: “Getting two great names like Beerwolf and Hawkshead Brewery involved in Taste Cumbria is fabulous news for our visitors, many of who travel from miles around to taste the produce on offer from our brilliant traders.

“We’ve got loads of family friendly fun on offer too, so we reckon there’s no better place to be this bank holiday weekend.

“We do love coming back to Ulverston every year. This is a town that really knows how to throw a party!”

This is the second Taste Cumbria event of the year. The first was held in Kirkby Lonsdale in April, then the next festival takes place during the last weekend of September in Cockermouth, with a Taste Cumbria Christmas market also taking place there in December.

Bookings are being taken now for the Cockermouth festivals. For more details, visit www.tastecumbria.com email carrie.buchanan@newsquest.co.uk or call 01228 612000.