The Darlington & Stockton Times is a wonderful supporter of the Swaledale Festival but in their Friday 13 March edition they caused panic amongst some people who were eagerly anticipating buying tickets for the appearance at the Festival of the world-famous Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain when online bookings opened on 23 March. In a long preview article about this year's programme in the D&S they wrote ".. the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain which has sold out" Some people then failed to notice the absent full stop and read no further, for on the next line it continued "the Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House."
Please be assured if anyone suggests that this event has sold out, that there were plenty of seats available on Friday 20 March. The magnificent new Garden Rooms at Tennants Auctioneers in Leyburn provide the Swaledale Festival with a venue that can hold twice as many people as its previous largest in St Andrew's, Grinton and St Mary's, Richmond.
We are not saying that it won't have sold out by 2 June but if it looks close to doing so we'll tell you here on our website and via our social media pages. In some respects it would be a feather in the Festival's cap if it did sell out in Leyburn as the Ukes have filled those other large venues across the globe. Certainly the interest in the Dales for this event is enormous. Our advice is to buy your tickets early - but don't ignore all the other amazing concerts and other activities that Swaledale Festival is bringing to you this year.