ORGANISERS of Grassington Festival officially announced the full programme for this summer's two-week extravaganza at a VIP event at The Gamekeepers Inn in Threshfield.

"This festival is absolutely fantastic," said Grassington Festival chairman Robert Fort. "It brings so much to the area, and those people who are involved with it and proud to be part of it.

"Each year, the challenge of scheduling the festival gets harder and harder, but the great thing about this year is that we've covered the whole spectrum from music to theatre, children's events and literature and comedy."

Although many of the events programmed for this year's Grassington Festival, were announced before Christmas, the most recent addition to the schedule, An Evening With Michael Parkinson, was announced by festival director Kate Beard at the VIP event, resulting in a collective "ooh" from those in the audience who attended Tuesday's launch.

Grassington Festival runs from June 15 to 30, and An Evening With Michael Parkinson will begin Marquee Week at 8pm on Monday, June 25, in the Field Marquee.

Sir Michael will be interviewed by his son Mike, and the event will celebrate the life and career of a man who has interviewed over 2,000 of the most important cultural figures of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Kate also one of the other highlights of Marquee Week will be comedian Jason Manford performing stand-up at 8pm on Tuesday, June 26, in the Field Marquee.

Kate said there will be two events before the festival, with a Human of the Dales exhibition being held in Skipton Town from now until Monday, May 28.

The grounds of Cavendish Pavillion at Bolton Abbey will also host a pre-festival theatre show, The Adventures of Doctor Dolittle at 5pm on Thursday, May 31.

When the festival starts on Friday, June 15, Kate said the first theatre show will be Me and My Bee, taking place at 6pm in Grassington Town Hall.

Kate said: "This magic piece of comedy theatre raises awareness about the plight of bees and their decline."

She also talked about of number of concerts and music performances, saying "we're offering an array of music for everyone."

Chris Clark, who farms at Nethergill Farm at Langstrothdale, and Malham farmer Neil Heseltine will give a talk about the Future of Farming, which will be held at 1pm on Wednesday, June 27, in Grassington Town Hall.

"We go to the festival every year, and I was honoured to be asked to speak," said Chris.

Paying tribute to hard-working people who run Grassington Festival, he added: "As a festival, it's extraordinary. It's a testament to the passion of the people who work to put this event on. Grassington is a small community, yet they put on this significant festival."

The festival will conclude on Saturday, June 30, with a Festival in the Field Day starting at noon.

For tickets or more information, visit grassington-festival.org.uk