BARRELS of beer, lashings of food and plenty of music will all be part of the fun as a Basingstoke museum hosts the borough’s first OctoberFest.

A varied programme will see beers from every brewery in Hampshire being served, countryside crafts and historical re-enactments on show as well as stalls from Basingstoke’s French, German and Belgium twin towns.

The event will take place at Milestones Museum, in Churchill Way West on October 17 and 18. It will be the first time, it has been held in Hampshire.

Chris Powell, who is involved in organising the event, said: “The fact that Basingstoke has been chosen to host the event is certainly something to be proud of, and a real feather in its cap.

“There is going to be so much on offer. The stalls from Basingstoke’s twin towns will have their own traditional food and beer, there will be some great live music and there will be lots happening inside the museum as well as outdoor marquees.”

The family fun days will feature free children’s activities and workshops, a skittle alley, competitions, quizzes and pub games.

Fine food will be provided by 20 of Hampshire Fare’s food producers and people will have free unlimited access to Milestones Museum, worth £7.50.

To promote the Gazette Newspapers-backed event, a rare vehicle is already on show at the museum. The 1927 Gales Brewery pick-up truck has been catching the eye of crowds ever since it arrived last month.

It is the only known vehicle of its kind in the UK and was donated by Fuller’s Brewery, which took over Gales, based in Horndean, Hampshire, in 2005.

Ian Smith, director of development at Hampshire Museums and Galleries Trust and manager of the museum, said: “When the factory closed, this car was left over so it was decided to donate it to the museum.

“It was restored and is in working condition, it has an MOT and was driven to the museum from Winchester at 30mph.”

OctoberFest will take place on October 17 between 11am to 11pm and October 18 between 11am and 10pm.

Tickets for adults are £8 online or £8.50 on the day. Tickets for children aged between five and 15 are £4.50 online (no discount for online booking). Children four and under will get in for free. A family ticket is £24 online or £25 on the day, and covers up to two adults and two children (aged five to 15). Groups of more than 15 in number can get in for £7 per person, booked in advance only.

The website for more information is 3.hants.gov.uk/octoberfest. You can also call 01256 403906.