ROLLING out the barrel will be quite a task when the 15th St Albans Beer Festival gets underway at the Alban Arena from next Wednesday, September 29.

Not only will there be over 500 different cask and bottled beers but there will also be foreign beer, ciders and perries at the festival which runs until next Saturday, October 2.

Over 9,000 people went along to the festival last year where they enjoyed not only the six bars with hundreds of brands to try but also the games, tombola, team quiz and breweriana auctions.

To accompany the festival, St Albans band, The Runaway Boys, will be performing next Thursday and the Climax Blues Band will be showcasing their most popular material from 18 albums on Saturday night.

Tickets range from �2 to �4 and can be booked through the box office on 01727 844488 or online at www.alban-arena.co.uk. Further details can be found at www.stalbansbeerfestival.com

n The Arena has unveiled its programme in the run-up to Christmas which includes the shows That’ll Be The Day, Christmas Music Hall and A Christmas Gift For You! Also appearing are variety act Joe Pasquale, the dancers of Tango Passion, ventriloquist Paul Zerdin and Gotta Sing Gotta Dance, celebrating the best numbers from stage and screen.

Next month the Arena will have a visit from Britain’s Got Talent finalist Julian Smith in Julian and Friends. Among the other acts from the TV talent show will be Stavros Flatley.

The season concludes with the pantomime Peter Pan starring Larry Lamb as Captain Hook and Katy Ashworth as the eponymous hero.