Beer Festival 2019

Fri 5 Jul 2019, 13:25

How can anyone be so negative about good hearted people trying to raise money for good causes. You can always not go and miss a very enjoyable day. Thanks to all for their very hard work on such a hot day.

Fri 5 Jul 2019, 08:12

Carl, it is not true that no other beer festivals charge an entry fee for non-drinkers. I'm on the committee for the Charlbury Beer Festival and also the Hook Norton Beer Festival. The 2 are different in some respects but have 2 very obvious similarities - i) the many months of work put in by volunteers to make the day a success and ii) the huge amount given to charities and local good causes.

The Hooky festival charges the same for drinkers and non-drinkers and, once the costs of running the festival (infrastructure, insurance etc) are covered, every penny goes to a good cause. I'm proud to be a member of both committees - and I pay for my entry and glass at both festivals.

So to all you charitable folk in Charlbury - please come and help us raise more money in Hook Norton on Saturday 20th July - www.HookyBeerFest.co.uk :-)

Mon 1 Jul 2019, 16:30 (last edited on Mon 1 Jul 2019, 17:47)

Likewise Tony, it was my first time as a beer maker, second selling gins etc. I really enjoyed it. Lots of happy, friendly folk. Many gin and wine buyers telling me they didn't want their change and saying how much they appreciated that the funds were going to charitable causes.

And I think an extra big thanks needs to go to the man who was sorting out people's attempts at recycling; not the most pleasent job.

Mon 1 Jul 2019, 13:05

I really enjoyed my first time as a beer maker. After selling out the cider I had three hours behind the wine and gin bar. The atmosphere was brilliant and everybody was having such a great time. I was amazed how often, having added up the total to what sounded rather a lot, people said keep the change!

Mon 1 Jul 2019, 10:31

Thanks Tim & the Committee & Helpers for the time & effort you put in to provide another fantastic Beer Festival. Charlbury at its best!

Sun 30 Jun 2019, 20:15 (last edited on Sun 30 Jun 2019, 22:36)

Thank you all for your helpful comments, which we love to hear, positive or otherwise. Charlbury Beer Festival couldn't happen without the support of the community, and that includes not just the committee members, but also the 35 or so volunteer beermakers on the day, our sponsors and of course all the people that come to the event. This year was no exception, and the combination of the efforts of all the people involved and the weather combined to make yesterday a wonderful day out I hope for everybody, including families.

As some background information for all those interested, there are (currently) 21 committee members and the planning for the event begins at our first meeting in September. Much of the first 5 or six months is spent putting a skeleton plan in place and processing the many and various grant applications. We made a record 19 grant donations this last year, totalling over £21k and expect to be able to pass  £250,000 in total grant donations after this years event. The event itself takes the best part of 5 days to put up, a full day for the event and then another day to take down.

We do everything we can to keep prices as low as possible, selling our real ale and craft beers at £3.33 per pint, and glasses of wine at £5 and prosecco at £4, prices that you would struggle to find elsewhere (apart from the Rose & Crown on a Monday evening!). The event costs around £25k to put on, covering the costs for all the infrastructure, bands and consumables. And we created and run the World Aunt Sally Singles Championships!

Please do contact me directly if you have any specific questions or have advice or perspectives on how we could improve the event. In all my time on the committee the common thread has always been 'how can we do things better'. It's been an absolute pleasure being Chair for this year and I look forward to many more successful beer festivals in the years to come.

Sun 30 Jun 2019, 15:23

If you think the entry fee is too high don't go !!! This has been a fantastic event for many years and I hope for many years to come. The work the volunteers put in and the money raised for charity is just fantastic. Thank you to all involved.

Sun 30 Jun 2019, 12:47

Agree Jim. Well done to all involved. Having been involved in running other beer festivals I know how much work it is. At the Banbury Beer Festival we charged up to £5 for entry at peak times, £2 for a glass and beer tokens on top, so I think Charlbury is reasonably competitive.

Sun 30 Jun 2019, 12:41

Well Done and Thank You to all the volunteers involved in organising and arranging the Beer Festival. It was a really fab, enjoyable day and great value for money, with, I imagine, a lot of unseen effort 'behind the scenes'. All of this to help the wider Charlbury community....

 Looking forward to Riverside and Street Fair!

Sun 30 Jun 2019, 11:46

Fantastic day yesterday, as always! An absolute bargain for a £10 charity  donation.   Big thanks to all who donate a massive amount of time to make it happen. 

Sun 30 Jun 2019, 11:01 (last edited on Sun 30 Jun 2019, 11:36)

If you're interested in where the money goes look at the CBF website.  Over £250k raised over 22 years & all of it has gone to  local & overseas projects.  The charges go to pay for the Beer,  marquee, generators & musicians.  Lots of other local charities & groups (incl Riverside who ran the car park this year..) raise cash too to support their activities. ...that's worth a fiver of anyone's money for a cracking day out. 

Sun 30 Jun 2019, 10:47

Thanks to all involved in arranging the day.

Sun 30 Jun 2019, 10:23

Carl, think of all the organisation needed to produce the entertainment and facilities that are provided at the beer festival. Now consider that all this organisation is provided by volunteers, who give enormous amounts of time free of charge, in order that the modest non-drinkers £5 entry can all go directly to help local societies and good causes.

Sun 30 Jun 2019, 10:23

Good point Carl,  personally I'm happy to pay £5 for a good day out, and good food and music.  Especially knowing that my entrance fee is going back to the community.

Anyway the Riverside Festival will soon be here, and that is free to enter!

Sun 30 Jun 2019, 10:13

Wilderness is a music festival with expensive bands and acts to pay for. None of the other beer festivals charge entry for non-drinkers so perhaps that’s something that should be looked at.

Sun 30 Jun 2019, 10:03

Agree Jim.  Amazing.  I go every year.

Carl, suggest you review the entrance fees for Wilderness and compare.  Also, the fees charged there by the stallholders.  The entrance fee for the Beer Festival is nominal.  Food and drink prices are rock bottom as well.

As far as I know all the money is given to local charities, clubs, and societies.  Again in stark contrast to the Wilderness profits.

Sun 30 Jun 2019, 09:51

The entrance fee is becoming a bit of a joke though. £10 for a glass and 1 token? £5 entry without a beer token is also a bit steep. Where does this money go to?

Sun 30 Jun 2019, 09:03

What a brilliant day for an exceptional event.  Congratulations to all of the committee & volunteers for organising the day with such a range of beers & ciders, food vendors & music.  Looking forward to 2020 already.