A MUCH loved celebration of beer will make a return to the city next month.

Ale afficionados, scrumpy specialists and cider connoisseurs can enjoy CAMRA Southampton Beer Festival, which will once again takeover Southampton Football Club's St Mary's Stadium home.

Building on the success of last year's festival, around 100 local and national beers, including one-off brews and brewery collaborations, 32 real cider and perries and a vast range of international bottled beers can be tasted and drunk throughout the two-day event.

This year the festival will look to celebrate an important aspect in the history of Southampton.

This will be featured in the 2018 logo, within the souvenir programme and selection of this year’s festival charity, Solent Sky museum.

It has also teamed up with local pubs, bars, and breweries to help launch the festival and promote the thriving beer scene in the South; including the Dancing man sponsoring the souvenir festival glass, the local Wetherspoon pubs sponsoring the festival bar and publicity, Belgium and Blues are the entertainment sponsors as well as running the bottled beer bar, and Caskaway Tasting Rooms have been helping with the organisation of the festival.

By popular demand festival favourites, Oddfellow Chocolates, with their range of bespoke chocolates, and a taste of the Mediterranean with Olives and Things will offer up food.

Southampton’s talented brewing circle, the Butcher’s Brew Club, will also be present, sharing some of the secrets of brewing high quality beer and answering questions.

Tickets can be purchased now from St Mary’s Stadium, Belgium and Blues, Caskaway, Bitter Virtue, The Guide Dog, and the festival website – southamptonbeerfestival.org.uk.

Students and CAMRA members (with valid membership cards) will also receive a complementary set of beer tokens.

It takes place between 11.30am and 11pm on Friday, June 8 and Saturday, June 9.

Ticket price varies depending on the session you decide to drink in.