You know Christmas is coming when Hard Rock Hell comes round. And the annual trek to Pontin’s in Prestatyn is our latest Gig Of The Week.

GIG OF THE WEEK: Hard Rock Hell III: The Vikings Ball

BAND:  Queensryche, Monster magnet, Ratt. W.A.S.P., New York Dolls, Quireboys, Tigertailz, plus loads of others

WHERE: Pontin’s, Prestayn, North Wales

WHEN:  December 3-5

It gets bigger and better every year. This is the third Hard Rock Hell, and promoter John Davis can’t wait for it to get started.

“We’ve got 62 bands on this year, which is 14 more than in 2008, and the accommodation sold out two months ago. It just seems that everyone likes the idea of a Winter festival just before Christmas.”

Davis dubs this ‘The People’s Festival’, and he means it.

“We only book those bands the fans want on the bill. They leave messages on the website and then we go and try to get them. People are already asking me who I’ve got lined up for 2010. The answer is, I don’t know because nobody’s told me who they want!”

There are a few new ideas being introduced this year. There’s an extra day for a kick off.

“We decided to put some bands on for December 3, the Thursday night. Effectively, it’s a private party for VIP members. All the tickets have gone for that. We’ve also got a Diary Room, where people can come in and have anything they want to say filmed. It’s only open for two hours from 1am – I chose that time, because everyone will be in the sort of state when the messages should be…interesting.”

There’s also going to be drum and guitar clinics, and there are plans for various podcasts via the website.

“We’re also encouraging people to come down in fancy dress, done up like Vikings. And there will also be a lot of twisted, bizarre entertainments.”

There are still a few day tickets left for December 4, but they are going very fast.

“There are no tickets left at all for December 5, but if you hurry you could still grab one for the previous day. However, Ratt are on the bill that day and, as they’ve cancelled all other dates on their European tour, this is the only chance fans will have to see them. So, a load of people have been snapping up the day tickets.”

Davis can’t wait for the event to get going.

“I do about nine festivals a year, but this is the one I always look forward to the most. It’s my passion. The camaraderie is tremendous. I love it.”

For further details, go to www.hardrockhell.com