A FREE four-day festival will be held in Harrogate in July to celebrate the Tour de France. Thousands of people are expected to visit the town, and the festival will run between July 3 and 6.

Velo-GoGo, which owns exclusive rights to the Tour De France Fan Parks in England and Ireland will host the celebration, with live action on big screens, cinema nights, parties, live music and celebrities.

Councillor Anthony Alton, leader of Harrogate Borough Council, said: “We have been in negotiations with Velo-GoGo over the past few months and I am delighted that everything has now been agreed. This is just the best news for dedicated Tour fans and other tourists and, of course, our own residents. We had always planned to have a fan zone on West Park Stray but this takes it to another level and it also gives businesses the chance to get involved too.”.