FESTIVAL fever hits Ulverston tomorrow.  

The market town will be busy this St George's Day with a series of festivities.

The Feast of St George takes place in Market Place from around 10.30am, starting with a Punch and Judy show followed by a performance by Ulverston Town Band.

From around 11am families will be able to interact with an animatronic dragon called Duncan. St George and his charger will also be seen walking around the town from around 11.30am. 

The pageant itself begins at around 12.30pm and the audience will be invited to get behind George and encourage him to overcome the dragon.

Street samba band Blast Furness will be entertaining the crowds from around 1pm and there will also be face painting and balloon modelling.

Taste of Cumbria will be selling dragon burgers (spicy chicken burgers) and The Sun Inn will be serving Dragon's Blood Ale, made by Ulverston Brewing Company. 

The history of St George is also the subject of the lunchtime lecture series tomorrow from 12.30pm.

Also getting under way tomorrow is Ulverston Flag Fortnight and Ulverston Walking Festival.

Flag Fortnight sees the town adorned with colourful handmade flags, depicting trades and local activities.

The Walking Festival features a series of easy, moderate and harder walks, and other activities. (See the panel below). 

Barrow Savoyards presents the Tea @ Two lunchtime concert at the Coronation Hall at 2pm tomorrow.

There will be a selection of Gilbert and Sullivan favourites accompanied by banter and afternoon tea.

Tomorrow is also the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death and it is the final performance of  Twelfth Night by Ulverston Outsiders at The Coronation Hall. The show starts at 7.30pm.

Peter Winston, secretary of The Feast of St George, said: "It's going to be an extremely busy weekend in Ulverston.

"We have Duncan the animatronic dragon coming to Ulverston for the first time which is an interactive show." 

*See a review of Twelfth Night on page 25 of today's paper and online at www.nwemail.co.uk .