A total of 1,500 litres of beer was consumed as a slice of Bavaria came to Barker Road in Maidstone on Saturday night.

Crowds of punters descended on the Market Hall as it played host to an Oktoberfest-style beer festival.

It was the first time BeerfestUK – which tours the country putting on similar events – had visited the town, and steins, dancing and lederhosen were the order of the evening.

The fun started at 5pm, with revellers filing in to enjoy German beers, the oompah band and traditional Bavarian food.

The venue was near capacity as almost 400 visitors got through 50 kegs of 4.8% Bitburger Pilsner and 5.4% Benediktiner wheat beer.

Philip Marsh, who owns the company, said: “The event went extremely well and a lot of people came up wanting us to come back next year. The party atmosphere and conga line were testament to the event’s success.

“It was our first time in Maidstone and we are hoping to come back at the same time next year. The managers of the venue were very happy with the way it went.”

He added: “We like to keep it traditional and I think that’s why we are successful, we’re supplied with two good German beers through Adnams and you won’t find any fish and chips and cider here.

“Maidstone was a very attractive prospect for us, the hall was just the right size. It’s better to have 400 people tightly packed and enjoying themselves than 2,000 you can’t relate to.”

BeerfestUK started up in 2011 with events in Southampton and Reading and will this year head to 12 locations, Mr Marsh refused to rule out expanding to other locations in Kent and said it was all about finding the right venue.