AFTER two years the UK’s biggest tractor festival is back, and organisers say, by demand, it will be bigger and better than ever in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Tractor Fest takes place at Newby Hall country house and gardens, near Ripon, over the Bank Holiday Jubilee weekend, Friday June 3 to June 5 when the UK will celebrate the Queen’s 70th anniversary as monarch.

The three-day event will showcase thousands of vintage tractors and modern marques, stationary engines, commercial vehicles, cars, lorries and motorcycles from around the UK and Europe.

In celebration of the Platinum Jubilee, this year’s festival will feature a display of 70-year-old Jubilee and Coronation vintage tractors, along with a display of 100 pre-1922 vintage tractors and 100 century-old stationary engines.

The show will also feature displays from specialist marque clubs and interest groups including the Marshall Club, Ford and Fordson and Ferguson, as well as working vintage machinery. The vintage vehicle section will celebrate 100 years of the Auston 7, the "big car in miniature" which dominated the UK motor market when it was first produced in 1922.

In addition, organisers say there will be a host of entertainment, crafts, and food and drink to make it a family event with admission including access to Newby’s gardens, adventure playground, dolls house and teddy bear exhibitions.

Organisers, the Yorkshire Vintage Association is predicting a bumper turnout over the June weekend. Chairman Kevin Watson said: “It is so good to be back this year after the enforced break and where better to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee than at Newby Hall which was reserved for the Royal Family in the event of evacuation from London during the Second World War.

“Tractor Fest is a superb day out for families and our exhibitors get great pleasure from showcasing their tractors, engines and machinery, many of which have interesting histories and stories behind them.”

The event is sponsored by European agricultural and machinery auctioneer Cheffins, The National Vintage Tractor & Engine Club and Econ Engineering and is supported by Ripon Farm Services.