ORGANISERS of the Festival of Happiness in Settle are aiming to make sure that everyone leaves with a smile.

The Festival of Happiness, organised by arts and heritage charity Settle Stories, will take place on Saturday, May 27.

There will be something for everyone as over 25 events will be held at various venues, including the Victoria Hall, Friends Meeting House and a Bell Tent.

Award-winning comedian Sofie Hagen will be flying from Denmark to give a performance of her show Dead Baby Frog.

This one-off appearance is an exclusive premiere before the show heads to London.

There will be a unique opportunity to step inside a classic 1970’s ambulance and be prescribed a 'poemcetomal' to cure your ailment of unhappiness.

For the brave, there will be a chance to talk to strangers at the Feast of Happiness.

In an hour people will get to know a stranger like a good friend. Sharing lunch, participants can choose topics of conversation from the conversation menu for their starter, main and dessert.

Bring your whole family and be transported to Africa to hear traditional tales from artists from Sierra Leone.

Alim Kamara is a hip hop rapper and storyteller and is accompanied by Usifu Jalloh, a more traditional storyteller on African drums.

Families can head to the festival Bell Tent to be whisked away to the magical fantasy world of the Flying Fairies and Whirling Witches.

Puppets act out stories from around the world featuring characters ranging from Russian witches to Icelandic ogresses.

Charles Tyrer, one of the organisers of the event, said: “We want the Festival of Happiness to bring people together, to connect people with the diverse range of activity already on offer in Settle and give everybody a chance to come together as a community with top quality entertainment.”

This is just a small selection of events on offer. Alongside the professional entertainment, local groups will be offering free talks and workshops giving everybody a chance to get involved with community life and try something new.

Charles said : “This festival requires the support of the community, which is why we want to thank Giggleswick School for their major sponsorship of the Festival of Happiness.

“Settle Stories believes a stronger, better connected community is a happier one. How could anyone disagree with that?”

There are over 20 free events, which covers 80 per cent of the festival, which runs from 10am to 11pm on Saturday, May 27.

For more information and to book tickets for events with a small fee, visit settlestories.org.uk/festival or ring 05603 845693.

To take advantage of a 20 per cent off ticket savings, book online before Thursday, May 25.

Alim Kamara Emergency Poet Laugh your way to happiness