Newmarket Racecourse is hosting its first ever beer festival from next Thursday to mark its annual Cambridgeshire meeting.

Milton Brewery, which is staging the beer festival, is putting on 30 real ales and five ciders for the three days and they have pulled together a good mix of up-and-coming and established breweries, including Adnams, Sharp’s, Tring, Son of Sid, Nottingham and Brentwood.

The festival runs from September 25-27.

Fresh from winning ‘Beer of the Festival’ at the Peterborough Beer Festival last month, Little Downham-based brewery Three Blind Mice will showcase their golden ale, Lonely Snake, while award-winning London brewery Redemption will have a pale ale on offer.

Popular bluegrass musician John Crampton will perform for race-goers on all three days of the meeting and on Saturday the Crackling Griffins Trio, an Irish folk-rock band, will play after racing on Saturday.

Accompanied children under 18 gain free admittance to all three days and, on Saturday in the family enclosure, they will be able to enjoy a rollercoaster slide, bungee trampolines and Rowley’s Kids Club.

Richard Naisby, managing director of Milton Brewery, said: “There will be a broad range of styles, from exciting breweries across the country, so there should be a beer or cider to suit everyone.”

Advance tickets are available now at the discounted rate of £14.40 for the grandstand and paddock on the Thursday and Friday and £20.70 on the Saturday, while Premier is £22.50 on Thursday and Friday and £36 on Saturday, with bigger discounts for bookings of 10 or more tickets and free entry for all accompanied children under the age of 18.

Visit www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk for more information.