A COFFEE festival thought to be the first in West Yorkshire will be staged in Otley in April after a two-year delay because of Covid.

Tickets are now on sale for Otley Coffee Culture Festival. Originally planned for 2020 but held back due to the pandemic, the April 30 festival will celebrate coffee’s journey from bean to cup with a fascinating and fun-filled day focusing on all things coffee and beyond.

Operating on a ‘hub-and-spoke’ model, the main festival will be held at the town’s historic All Saints Parish Church which will host a range of local and regional exhibitors. The festival programme will include talks, tastings and music, as well as stands offering food, coffee equipment, art, and merchandise. A Town Coffee Trail will see exclusive discounts at participating coffee shops around Otley.

Exhibitors at the main venue will include Huddersfield’s Dark Woods Coffee, Casa Espresso of Bradford, Leeds-based North Star Roast and Taylors of Harrogate’s specialty coffee brand Discovery. Event sponsors include eco-friendly packaging company Vegware, Italian restaurant Buon Apps and Greenholme Carpets. The event has also been supported by Otley BID and Otley Town Council.

Tickets to the festival are £6 in advance or £7.50 on the door and are available from Otley Courthouse. Festival-goers will have to pick a timed arrival slot, but once in the festival can stay as long as they like.

Festival chair Richard Hughes said: “A coffee festival is always a great day out. The Otley Coffee Culture team is determined to offer a mix of activities to ensure that our event is brilliant fun and amazing value for money.

“The mix of stalls and stands will cater for the coffee lover and the general browser alike; there will be speciality coffee and tea, arts, local produce and charity bargains, as well as music, coffee talks and face painting for the kids.”

Otley Coffee Culture Festival takes place from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, April 30, at Otley All Saints Parish Church, Kirkgate, LS21 3HW. See otleycoffeeculture.co.uk for more details.

The website says: "Otley Coffee Culture is unique. Born from a conversation between a coffee shop owner and the owner of a local communications business, it has grown to encompass a community of like minded local people who love coffee and appreciate our town and its coffee culture."

Organisers are planning for the festival to be a catalyst for "a year-long support network for coffee in Otley".