Cambridge Beer Festival

Cambridge Beer Festival

The Cambridge Beer Festival is the longest-running beer festival in the United Kingdom. It started in 1974 and happens every year at the end of May, just before the Whitsuntide Bank Holiday.

For many years, there was also a smaller winter beer festival inside the University Social Club. It was organized by Cambridge & District CAMRA.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, both the summer and winter festivals were cancelled in 2020. The summer festival started again in 2023, but the winter festival did not come back. This is because the University Social Club did not reopen after the pandemic, and the building is now planned for new development.

The Cambridge Beer Festival is a special event where beer lovers can enjoy many different kinds of beer together.

Summer festival

The summer beer festival began at the Cambridge Corn Exchange in 1974. It stayed there until 1982, then moved around before returning in 1988. In 1992, it moved to the Cambridge City Football Club ground and grew with big tents. It now happens every year at the end of May.

In 2001, the festival moved to Jesus Green, where it stays today. It’s one of the biggest beer festivals in the country. The festival is also known for its cheese stall with tasty snacks. Each year, the festival helps a charity. The 2020 festival was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Winter festival

The Winter Beer Festival used to happen in November at the Cambridge University Social Club. It began in 1997 as a January event at Anglia Ruskin University but later moved. There was also an Octoberfest from 2007 to 2017. In 2018, the two festivals became one Winter Beer Festival in November. The last one was in 2019. It did not return after 2020 because the University Social Club did not reopen.