CAMRA is urging people to visit pubs this summer under the banner of the Great British Beer Festival, supporting them after a year of restrictions.
In the absence of a single Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) event this year due to COVID-19, CAMRA is encouraging licensees to hold events and activities celebrating live beer and real cider as part of a Great British Beer Festival at Your Local event, taking place from 30 July – 8 August, just a week after the proposed date that restrictions are set to end. GBBF at Your Local hopes to present the very best that the nation’s pubs, clubs, breweries and cider producers have to offer.
This campaign hits right at the heart of CAMRA and hopes to help encourage footfall to pubs and clubs and increase demand for brewers and cider-makers. In previous years, GBBF has attracted over 38,000 attendees, and CAMRA are hoping that in the year that the industry needs it most, those beer and cider lovers will come out to support independent and local businesses.
Suggested activities include:
- Bringing in special guest beers
- Putting on mini beer festivals
- Arranging meet the brewer sessions and tastings
- Promoting cask conditioned real ale and real cider
- Brewery tours
Events can be submitted via the GBBF at Your Local website and will be promoted on the dedicated GBBF social media channels throughout the summer. Pubs and clubs can also contact their local CAMRA branch to assist them in setting up their events, and online and printed marketing materials will be available from July onwards. Go to https://local.gbbf.org.uk/ to find out more.
Great British Beer Festival Organiser Catherine Tonry said: “We’re delighted to be able to bring the Great British Beer Festival to the pubs, clubs and breweries that have worked so hard to stay afloat in the toughest of years. We hope that beer and cider lovers alike will make their way down to their local to celebrate in whatever way they can, be that trying a brand new tipple, learning first-hand from brewers or attending their local mini festival.
“This is a great opportunity to raise a glass to all the brilliant publicans, staff members and patrons that have helped the beer, cider and pub industry to survive throughout the pandemic. Though we can’t get together at London Olympia for the second year running, we hope that people will take to their locals to get involved with the GBBF at Your Local experience. Let’s get back to the pub today!”
For further information about getting involved, visit https://local.gbbf.org.uk/ or email: GBBFlocal@gbbf.org.uk
Download the Great British Beer Festival at Your Local poster here.
The Great British Beer Festival, normally held in August at the London Olympia, has been cancelled in both 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic
