THE Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival WILL celebrate its 30th anniversary next year.

Organisers have confirmed that the event which takes over Colne town centre over the August Bank Holiday weekend will be back in 2019.

The festival will run from Friday, August 23 until Sunday, August 25.

Councillor Joe Cooney, chairman of the Blues Working Group at Colne Town Council, said: “As a result of the resounding success of the 2018 Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival, we are thrilled to be announcing the dates for the 2019 event.

“It will be the third year that Colne Town Council will manage and oversee the event. And. this being the 30th year anniversary of the festival, it promises to be a very special one.”

Although planning for 2019 has only just got underway, a series of special events to mark the 30th anniversary have been revealed.

Four renowned clues clubs - from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales - will each choose an act from their region, which best represents their club and the blues music of the area, to appear at the festival.

And, every day of the festival will feature a legend from the world of blues getting their own ‘legends slot’, although organisers are staying tight-lipped as to who is likely to appear.

At this year’s festival, music lovers were able to vote for their favourite busker from the wide range of musicians who were allocated official busking stages around the town. And the two most popular acts - who between them polled more than 10,000 votes - are to be awarded a place on one of the main stages of the 2019 event.

The festival’s association with Jessica Foxley Unsigned will continue giving up-and-coming acts the opportunity to perform on one of the main stages. Details of how bands can audition will be revealed in due course.

This year’s event was heralded a huge success and saw thousands of music lovers heading to Colne to listen to a wide array of artists including award-winning King King, Elles Bailey, Dutch outfit My Baby and rising UK star Laurence Jones.

A series of official stages were held at the Muni, Pendle Hippodrome, Colne Little Theatre and the Mini Muni and a series of Roadhouse stages were dotted around the town at 12 Bar, Carlo’s, The Crown, The Dressers, The Duke Of Lancaster, The Legion, The Admiral Lord Rodney, Colne and Nelson Rugby Club, Tubbs of Colne, The Union and The Venue.

The Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival has twice been voted the best blues festival at the European Blues Awards and has seen stars from all over the world heading to East Lancashire.

Organisers hope that festival tickets will go on sale by the end of November. Further details will be revealed in due course on the official website, www.bluesfestival.co.uk.