GRASSINGTON Festival will delight audiences early this year, ahead of its 15-day extravaganza in June.

A special outdoor performance of Hugh Lofting's classic, The Adventures of Dr Dolittle, by festival favourites Illyria, will be held in the Cavendish Pavilion Grounds at Bolton Abbey on Thursday, May 31.

For those unfamiliar with the story, The Adventures of Dr Dolittle is a funny and much-loved adventure.

Doctor John Dolittle of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh starts out as a human doctor, but once he is taught by his wise old parrot Polynesia how to talk to animals he becomes the most celebrated veterinary doctor in England.

Word of his skills spreads and animals across the world send messages asking for his help.

So he buys a leaky old ship and, together with his trusty pet-crew, sets forth on a mission to heal illness, spread compassion and gain a greater understanding of the animal kingdom.

A spokesman for Grassington Festival said: "Children will love following the funny antics of Jip the dog, Chee-Chee the monkey, Dab-Dab the duck and permanently hungry Gub-Gub the pig, and with its strong message about our responsibilities towards animals and the environment, it's a sure winner for the whole family."

The show, which will take place during half term at 5pm on Thursday, May 31, is suitable for children aged 5 plus and tickets costing £14 for adults and £7 for under 16s are available at grassington-festival.org.uk

This is an outdoor performance so please dress appropriately for Dales weather.

In a departure from previous years, this will not be the only event to occur outside of the festival period.

Last year's popular exhibition, Humans of the Dales, will be held again at Skipton Town Hall from April 6 to May 28.

This audio-visual collection features portraits and interviews collected in the Yorkshire Dales by artists Carine Brosse and Sam Dakin, celebrating the stories and diversity of real local people. Entry is free.

Highlights already announced for Grassington Festival 2018 include British comedian Jason Manford, Yorkshire legends Smokie, super-group British Electric Foundation, world-class Benyounes Quartet and a special concert by Skipton Camerata.

The festival period will culminate in the first ever Festival in the Field – a full day of music and entertainment, headlined by Scottish indie-rockers The Fratellis.

The full festival programme will be revealed next Tuesday, with more shows to be added to an already stellar line-up.