A MUCH-LOVED Bolton event promises to be bigger and better than ever before this year — as it moves to the Macron Stadium.

Bolton Beer Festival, which is now in its 23rd year, is moving from its usual site at Bolton Rugby Club to the home of Bolton Wanderers, in the club's Premier Suite.

Organisers say the event has outgrown its regular home, where a large marquee was erected to house the festival.

The festival, held this year from Wednesday, October 12, to Saturday, October 15, regularly attracts brewers from across the North West, with hundreds of different beers on offer to drinkers after a tipple.

Every year, the festival also raises tens of thousands of pounds for Bolton Lads and Girls Club.

The festival is the brainchild of Clive Nightingale, who started the beer festival in 1994 when he was landlord of the Howcroft Inn in Pool Street, but now lives in Austria where he runs a ski lodge.

He makes the 1,000 mile round trip back to Bolton every year for the festival to organise it with the help of staff at the lads club.

Also new for this year is a curry and beer ticket, as well as more live music and entertainment every night.

A new e-ticketing system will also be introduced, allowing tickets for the festival to be directly emailed to revellers.

Organisers also say parking will be easier this year, with more spaces available and the nearby Horwich Parkway station allowing people to visit on the train.

A spokesman for the club said: "We will be improving our live entertainment to bring you some great bands on every night.

"Also available every night we will be offering a special curry and beer ticket which will give you access to a special area within the festival to sit down and enjoy a delicious curry by Bolton's much loved Spice Valley."

The move to a larger site also opens more sponsorship opportunities, and those interested are being asked to get in touch with organisers.

For more information, call 01204 540116 or email charlotte.othen@blgc.co.uk