Cambridge Beer Festival
The Cambridge Beer Festival on Jesus Green, run by volunteers from Cambridge and District CAMRA and held at the end of May.
What it is
The Cambridge Beer Festival is an annual beer and cider festival run by the Campaign for Real Ale. It offers local and national beers, cider, perry, mead and wine, and bottled and draft beers from around the world. A cheese counter, run by the CAMRA branch itself, sells cheeses and bread alongside savoury snacks such as pork pies and scotch eggs. The organisers and staff are unpaid volunteers, and each year a charity is given the chance to raise funds at the event.
Where
The festival is held on Jesus Green, where it has been since 2001.
History
The first festival was held in 1974 at the Cambridge Corn Exchange, where it stayed until 1982. After 1982 it alternated between the Guildhall and Midsummer Common, came back to the Corn Exchange in 1988, and in 1992 became an outdoor event under marquees at the Cambridge City Football Club ground off Milton Road. During the football-ground years it moved from August to the end of May. A smaller winter festival ran until 2019, and the summer event next took place in 2023.
When it usually happens
The summer festival takes place in the final days of May, ahead of the Whitsuntide Bank Holiday. The organisers publish dates, tickets and opening times at the Cambridge Beer Festival website.
Where it happens
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Jesus Green
Landmark
A riverside park north of Jesus College, with one of the few surviving 1920s lidos and a May beer festival held there since 2001.
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Cambridge Corn Exchange
Venue
A Grade II listed trading hall of 1875 that hosts gigs, comedy and graduations.