THE box office for Hebden Bridge Arts Festival opens for business this Saturday, with a team of volunteers ready to offer not just tickets but also advice, tips and a chat.
Though postal bookings have been available since early May, the opening of the box office for ticket sales at The Festival Shop, Albert Street, is always a significant milestone in the build-up to the festival.
The doors will open on Saturday, Jun
e 13, at 10.30am. This year's festival, the 16th, runs from June 26 to July 12.
Festival co-ordinator Rebecca Yorke said: "The box office is run entirely by volunteers and this year we have about 30 people lined up to help with inquiries and ticket sales.
"It is the hub of the festival – people come in to buy tickets, view the exhibition, pick up programmes and just have a natter.
"We know from past experience that people will come in to buy tickets for a particular event and then end up buying tickets for several other events after chatting to volunteers."
This year the festival has teamed up with the Bookcase in Hebden Bridge to ensure that books by artists appearing in the festival are available to buy in the box office as well as at the events.
The shop is also hosting a stunning photographic exhibition by the artist Fred Langford Edwards from June 13 to July 12.
The exhibition explores the life, ideas and legacy of pioneering scientist Alfred Russel Wallace, who made a major contribution to the theories of natural selection and evolution promoted by Charles Darwin.
From this Saturday, the box office will be open Monday to Saturday from 10.30am to 5pm and on Sundays from noon to 5pm. Call the box office on 01422 842684 or visit www.heb denbridgeartsfestival.co.uk for more details.
