Booze brewed in Newton Aycliffe will help form part of celebrations to mark five decades of partnership between County Durham and its German twin town.
A programme of live music, film, poetry and storytelling, all with a German theme, will be centred in and around Durham City’s Millennium Place on Thursday, June 13.
And visitors can enjoy a brand new, limited edition, Anglo-German beer, brewed specially for the event.
Nochmal is a modern New England Pale Ale and has been created by two local micro-breweries, The Steam Machine in Newton Aycliffe and McColl’s Brewery in Evenwood and, along with Freistil Brauwerk from the German university city of Tübingen, which was paired with County Durham in a town twinning agreement in the 1960s.
This year marks the golden jubilee of the signing of the town twinning agreement and residents and visitors are invited to enjoy an evening of special events and activities in celebration.
A range of German food and drink, including sausages and waffles, will also be available and the new anniversary beer will make its debut at the event, before a return exchange in July makes it available to a German audience at the Tübingen Stadfest festival.
Cllr Joy Allen, cabinet member for transformation, culture and tourism, said “Throughout 2019, our guests from Tübingen will pay an important part in a number of special celebrations, from sports and musical exchanges, to art exhibitions and literary events.
“This exciting evening of German Kultur is a great opportunity for people to help celebrate the long-running friendship between our two cities and experience a new culture.”
The German Kultur event will include a range of entertainment:
• Free storytelling sessions at Clayport Library at 11am, 1.30pm and 6.15pm, where children and their parents and carers can enjoy a story read in German and English.
• An open-air concert by German singer and accordion player, Martina Schwarz, in Millennium Place at 5.30pm.
• A screening of award-winning German language film, Toni Erdmann, at Gala Cinema at 6pm. Admission £2.
• A performance of German-inspired music by the award-winning NASUWT Riverside Band in Millennium Place at 6.30pm.
• A memorable concert of works by Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst and Georg Frideric Handel and more, by the Tübinger Saxophon Ensemble in Millennium Place at 7.15pm.
• A performance by Trimdon folk group Skerne in Millennium Place at 8.15pm.
- Pictured above (left to right): Ruari O’Toole (McColl’s Brewery), Pete Baten (Steam Machine), Danny McColl (McColl’s Brewery), Phil Norman (Steam Machine), Nick Smith (Steam Machine), Richard Marcic (Freistil Brewery), Thomas Feger (Freistil Brewery, front), Nicolas Hübner (visiting academic from Tübingen University, at back with glasses) and Michele Thorns, assistant international officer, Durham County Council.