DANBURY, CONN. —The New York/New England regional Beatles-themed festival billed as “Danbury Fields Forever” has expanded to two days in celebration of The Beatles’ 50th anniversary. It will “come together” on Saturday and Sunday, July 26 and 27, 2014, at Ives Concert Park on the Western Connecticut State University Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury. Doors will open at noon and the music will continue until 8 p.m. each day.

The family-friendly music, food and arts festival is in its third year and will feature 10 bands each day playing the music of The Beatles, solo material and songs from the ’60s. The full lineup of performers has been announced. Acts include The Hofners, The Oh-Nos, The Mystery Tour, AfterFab, Fools On The Hill, Charlie Guitar, Studio Two, Beatlehead, Thunder Road, Genetic Control, The Way-Back Machine, Rotary and the national touring group Beatlemania Again.

Along with the bands, there will be live tributes to George Harrison by Pete Santora (formerly of Broadway’s “Beatlemania”), Sir Paul McCartney by Mike Miller’s “One Sweet Dream,” John Lennon by Dave Pal in his “Lennon Legacy” show and Elton John by Bill Connors. Students from School of Rock locations in Westchester County, New York, and Connecticut will perform sets of Beatles classics, and the winners of the Web talent search project StarOnTheWeb.com will perform as well.

Two special guests of honor will appear at this year’s festival: Music/songwriter Karl Green a founding member of Herman’s Hermits, one of the super groups of the British Invasion and mainstays on the covers of teen magazines, will be at the festival on Saturday, July 26. Green played bass and harmonica, wrote songs for the group and was a back-up vocalist. Before resurfacing in the United States for this festival and some East Coast gigs, Green was in the music business in England, managing sound systems for the Queen Elizabeth and Festival Halls in London.

Musician/singer Ian Lloyd formed the Stories in the early 1970s with Michael Brown (The Left Banke/”Walk Away Renee”). With one of the most distinctive and powerful voices in the history of rock music, Lloyd has been heard across the globe since his 1973 performance on the Stories’ No. 1 hit “Brother Louie.” He scored a follow-up hit with “Mammy Blue.” Lloyd also has performed with Foreigner. Since then, Lloyd has released several solo albums and collaborated with many other artists. Lloyd will be at Danbury Fields Forever on Sunday, July 27.

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles’ U.S. arrival in 1964, one-day “Ticket to Ride” admission to the Fab 4 Music Festival start at $19.64. V.I.P. tickets, discounted two-day passes and hotel packages also are available. Advance tickets are available at https://danburyfieldsforeveriii.eventbrite.com. Ticket prices will be higher at the door.

Along with the expansion of the festival to two days, there will be more Beatles memorabilia dealers and vendors, exhibitors, attractions, kid-friendly activities and a larger variety of food options available. For guests staying overnight, there is a reduced rate hotel package that includes accommodations and breakfast. There also is a festival after-party on Saturday night at the hotel. Visit www.Fab4MusicFestival.com for details.

Danbury Fields Forever III is presented by Liverpool Productions, the same company that presented NYC FAB 50, The Beatles’ 50th Anniversary Celebration in New York City in February, and has produced Connecticut Beatles Conventions since 1978. The show is hosted by Charles F. Rosenay!!! of Orange, with Norwalk’s Gary Theroux of RewoundRadio.com’s “History of Rock ‘n’ Roll” as the July 26 MC, and Milford’s Ken Michaels of the “Every Little Thing” radio show as MC on July 27.

For more information, visit www.Fab4MusicFestival.com, or call (203) 795-4737.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.