Cambridge Beer Festival

The summer Cambridge Beer Festival is the longest-running beer festival in the United Kingdom, starting in 1974. It takes place at the end of May, just before the Whitsuntide Bank Holiday. For many years, there was also a smaller winter beer festival held indoors at the University Social Club, organized by Cambridge & District CAMRA.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, both the summer and winter festivals were cancelled in 2020. The summer festival came back in 2023, but the winter festival did not return. This is because the University Social Club did not reopen after the pandemic and the building is now planned for redevelopment. The Cambridge Beer Festival is a special event for beer lovers to enjoy many different kinds of beer together.

Summer festival

The summer beer festival started at the Cambridge Corn Exchange in 1974. It stayed there until 1982, then moved around a bit before settling back at the Corn Exchange in 1988. In 1992, it found a new home at the Cambridge City Football Club ground, where it grew big and moved outside into huge tents. It now happens every year at the end of May.

In 2001, the festival moved to Jesus Green, where it has been ever since. It’s become one of the biggest beer festivals in the country. In 2016, around 41,000 people came, enjoying lots of different beers, ciders, and wines. The festival is also known for its cheese stall, run by the organizers, selling all kinds of tasty snacks. Each year, the festival helps a charity raise money. In 2018, it helped a group supporting families who’ve lost a child, and in 2023, it helped children’s hospices. The 2020 festival was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Winter festival

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