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Top 5 listing for Sheep Day

31 March 2016

Sheep festival is top of the flocks

Skipton’s famous Sheep Day Festival has ‘bleaten-off’ some stiff competition to come high up in a poll of the nation’s best-loved festivals.

The traditional fair that sees crowds flock to the centre of Skipton to see the town taken over with sheep shearing, goose herding, dry stonewalling, and vintage tractors - has been voted the UK’s fifth favourite festival in a survey by National Express.

The annual fleece-themed festival, that is now an annual fixture each July, came fifth in a poll of the nation’s favourite festivals organised by the UK’s largest coach operator.

National Express surveyed a thousand people to create a definitive list of Britain’s best-loved quirky festivals – the Stilton Cheese rolling festival topping the poll.

The top ten:

1. Cheese rolling festival in Stilton
2. Jorvik Viking Festival
3. The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta
4. International Birdman Competition in Bognor Regis
5. The Skipton Sheep Festival
6. The British Lawnmower Racing heats in Braintree Essex
7. The Jane Austin Festival in Bath
8. Whitstable Oyster Festival
9. The Newent, Onion Eating Competition
10. British Asparagus Festival - Evesham Vale, Worcestershire

National Express UK Coach Managing Director Tom Stables said: “The Skipton Sheep Festival is quintessentially British - both unique and fun – and shows off this country’s heritage wonderfully. Its no wonder that Britons rank this annual fixture as one of their top events.”

Brett Butler, Skipton Town Centre Manager said: "what an amazing bit of news. We know that our annual heritage event certainly brings the crowds flocking to Skipton and it's great to be recognised as one of the best in the Country when the team put so much hard work into organising the day".

Thank you to those who voted for us...come and #VisitSkipton