East Anglian Beer & Cider Festival – Just Three Weeks To Go!
In just three weeks the 31st East Anglian Beer & Cider Festival, opens its doors once more, by kind permission of the Dean & Chapter at St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Bury St Edmunds.
This year’s event will run for six days from Wednesday 23rd – Monday 28th August 2023.
All proceeds will support local charities and good causes. Last year’s event raised over £20,000. This year’s festival is the 31st, having run annually since 1991. The organisers are planning another great event, with a full entertainment programme and a wide range of beers, ciders and other drinks. To make the Festival accessible for all, admission to the weekday daytime, Sunday and Monday sessions will be FREE. The festival also repeats the popular Anytimer and Weekender tickets allowing access to multiple sessions.
All Early Bird Tickets have now been sold and reduced price ‘Value’ tickets can be obtained up until the week before the festival at https://burystedmundsbeerfestival.com/
The entertainment programme features a 60s/70s themed night on Friday and 80s themed night on Saturday headlined by the Kopy Katz. Folk music will be featured on Thursday and Wednesday is our Armed Forces / Blue Light evening.
This year’s festival is dedicated to Mike Shave, a festival volunteer and CAMRA committee member, who passed away in November 2022. Mike was a beekeeper and the festival has commissioned a commemorative ‘Honey Gold Festivale’ brewed using honey from Mike’s beehives. The new ale will be on sale in local pubs in the lead up to the festival and, of course, on site at the festival.
The festival will feature over 250 real and craft ales plus over 50 ciders, a World Beer bar and a range of other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Martin Bate, Beer Festival Organiser said “This year’s festival is dedicated to a dear colleague who sadly passed away last year. Mike was our festival beer order supremo
and webmaster for the CAMRA branch website. He is sorely missed. We are looking forward to a great festival and hope that everyone will join us and raise a glass to Mike.”
The Very Rev’d Joe Hawes, Dean of St Edmundsbury, said, “We’re thrilled to host the East Anglian Beer and Cider Festival once again this year. The festival is a wonderful way to pay homage to the Benedictine hospitality of our roots at the Abbey and also to welcome new people to our Cathedral.”
The festival opens to the general public on Wednesday 23rd August at 5.30pm and runs for 6 days until Bank Holiday Monday.
