A FESTIVAL featuring a diverse celebration of live music and lip-smacking Asian street food takes space near Ashburton this weekend.

The three day ANRÁN Fest, which starts tomorrow (Friday, July 29), returns to Tidwell Farm in Loddiswell after its successful debut last August

Despite taking place in the midst of the pandemic last year, ANRÁN Fest was sold out on both days, though numbers had to be restricted to be in line with government safety guidelines for Covid-19.

It also raised over ₤6,000 for its two adopted charities, Cancer Research UK and Children’s Hospice South West.

Heartened by the success, festival co-founders Edwin Ho and Mike Jowett, have decided to bring the festival back with a fresh line-up of musical performances and more lip-smacking Asian street food.

‘This year is really about helping young people and the young at heart, said Mike.

‘We hope that the festival will be a post-Covid breath of fresh air. We want to gather people together again, to not only have a great time but also to do some good for the less fortunate.

‘In these uncertain times, we have also not only tried to make the event affordable but also sufficiently different to other festivals by introducing a wide variety of events and lots of stuff to do for kids.’

The music festival is headlined by celebrated cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, who will also be hosting a supper club.

He will introduce his wife, cellist Jiaxin Lloyd Webber, and pianist Di Xiao, in a magical evening of music by the lake, and take the audience on a musical journey through his extraordinary career.

A cross-genre music programme that includes classical, Latin jazz and folk music will be held across two other venues, the Cow Shed and the Hay Barn.

Musical highlights include an afternoon at the lakeside of classical pieces by Mozart and Beethoven performed by the Torbay Symphony Orchestra accompanied by piano soloist Di Xiao, plus ABBA, Queen and Shirley Bassey tribute bands

Local acts include favourites such as Neil Maya Quartet, JAR, Broadband, La Vie en Rose, Skedaddle and Zum Zum, as well as The Ronnie Jones Trio who plays alongside acclaimed saxophonist Simon Spillett.

The Asian Street Food Festival will again be a big part of the event with a range of food and drink treats to tantalise the taste buds

Highlights include a Singapore Satay Club inspired by the iconic Singaporean food institution known for its delicious flame-grilled meats and vegetables on sticks and an Emperor’s Dim Sum Lunch of small plates with a special Chinese dance performance by the DANS group.

Added to this will be a varied selection of asian food and cooking demonstrations, wine and gin tastings, and a real ale bar plus food to keep youngsters happy too.

For Mike and Edwin, a key motivation behind the event is to find a way to give back to the community.

Through this year’s festival, they hope to raise funds for five charities: Cancer Research UK for Chidren and Young People, Children’s Hospice South West, Rowcroft Hospice, Veterans With Dogs and The Labrador Rescue Trust.

In addition to supporting organisations who help children and young people in need, they hope to raise awareness of mental health challenges too.

.With different ticketing tiers and single event tickets, ANRÁN Fest has been designed to be accessible to everyone.

Tickets start at £10 for the food festival (which include food vouchers), with whole-event day tickets at £30 and weekend tickets at £75 for adults.

For ticket details see the website https://www.anranfest.co.uk.