THE Popley Festival is in its 25th year, and looks to kick off the milestone event in style this Sunday.

The festival started in 1992, where it was based at the John Hunt of Everest school and was co-organised by the local community associations and churches.

There was a change of location to Popley Fields, where the community associations, churches, schools, and local clubs that formed the backbone of the organisation were joined by many more volunteers, who now completely run the event.

Last year, the Popley Festival managed to attract more than 8,000 people over the course of the day-long event, and organisers are hoping to beat that this year.

There will be a large selection of live music that will be taking place over the day, including: the Everest Community Colleges steel band, Zenith, Close to the Coast, Slack5, Byellow, and the Zone. There will also be dance performances from Spotlight Dance, Dance to the Beat, Merton School, Youbg, and the Gurkha community.

Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane Cllr Paul Frankum will also be attending the event, helping to judge the competitions that are being organised by New Testament Church of God Basingstoke. There will be something for all tastes and ages as there will be a fun fair, community and trade stalls, and a car boot sale. The car boot sale is £5 per car, and setup is from 8am-10am.

Phil Mean, one of the event’s organisers, said: “We’re really looking forward to this year’s event. It’s even on for longer this year to help celebrate the quarter century milestone, from 10am to 4pm. It’s a really great community event that helps to celebrate all that there is to offer in Popley and in the area. There’s so much to do on the day, and there is a wide variety of choice.

“We’re hoping to get even more people to come this year.

More than 8,000 came last year, so we’re really going to go for it as much as we can, so please come down if you can.”

The Popley Festival will take place in Popley Fields, on May 21, from 10am-4pm. The event is in association with the Popley Fields Community Association, and further information on the event can be found at www.popleyfestival.org.uk.