The UK's craft beer scene has never been more vibrant. With over 2,000 breweries now operating across the country, there is no shortage of events celebrating the art and science of brewing. From the vast halls of the Great British Beer Festival to intimate tap takeovers at your local pub, beer events offer something for everyone, whether you are a seasoned connoisseur or just beginning to explore beyond the mainstream.
The Great British Beer Festival
Organised by CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale), the Great British Beer Festival is the UK's largest beer event. Held annually at Olympia London in August, it features over 900 real ales, ciders, perries, and international beers. The festival also hosts the Champion Beer of Britain competition, whose results are eagerly anticipated by the brewing industry.
Day tickets typically cost around £15 to £20, with beer tokens purchased separately. The atmosphere is convivial and welcoming, with knowledgeable volunteers on hand to help you navigate the vast selection. First-timers should consider attending a tutored tasting session, which offers guided introductions to different beer styles. The festival runs for five days, with trade sessions and public sessions available.
Independent craft beer festivals
Indy Man Beer Con, Manchester
Held in the spectacular Victoria Baths in Manchester, Indy Man Beer Con is widely regarded as one of the UK's finest craft beer festivals. The event brings together around 60 breweries from the UK and beyond, pouring exclusively from keg and cask in a venue that provides a genuinely unique backdrop. The festival has been running since 2013 and sessions sell out rapidly. Tickets typically cost around £30 to £40, which includes a glass and programme, with beer purchased by the third or half pint.
Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival
Edinburgh's annual craft beer festival takes place over a weekend in the city centre and showcases Scottish brewing alongside UK and international producers. Scotland's craft brewing scene has grown dramatically, with breweries such as Pilot, Vault City, and Overtone gaining national reputations. The festival is a chance to sample a wide range of Scottish beers that may not be widely distributed south of the border.
Bristol Craft Beer Festival
Bristol has one of the strongest independent beer scenes in the UK, and its annual craft beer festival reflects this. Held at various venues around the city, the festival features Bristol-based breweries alongside guests from across the country. Bristol is home to acclaimed breweries including Left Handed Giant, Good Chemistry, and Wiper and True, all of whom typically participate.
CAMRA beer festivals across the UK
Beyond the Great British Beer Festival, CAMRA's local branches organise hundreds of beer festivals annually across the UK. These range from large city events attracting thousands of visitors to small village hall gatherings with a few dozen casks. Every CAMRA festival emphasises real ale, and many also feature ciders, perries, and a growing selection of craft keg beers.
Notable CAMRA festivals include the Norwich Beer Festival (one of the largest outside London, held at St Andrew's Hall each October), the Sheffield Steel City Beer Festival, and the Reading Beer Festival at the town's football ground. Most CAMRA festivals charge modest entry fees and offer beer at reasonable prices, making them excellent value. To find CAMRA festivals near you, check the CAMRA website's festival calendar, which lists events across every region. For more on finding events in your area, our local events guide has helpful tips.
Tap takeovers
A tap takeover is an event where a pub or bar hands over some or all of its taps to a single brewery or group of breweries for an evening or weekend. These events have become a staple of the UK craft beer scene and offer an intimate way to explore a brewery's range in depth, often with the brewers themselves in attendance to talk about their beers.
Tap takeovers are typically free to attend, with beer purchased at normal bar prices. They happen regularly at craft beer pubs across the UK and are usually announced via social media or mailing lists. Cities with particularly active tap takeover scenes include London, Manchester, Bristol, Leeds, and Edinburgh. Following your favourite breweries and local craft beer pubs on social media is the best way to stay informed about upcoming events.
Brewery open days and taproom events
Many UK breweries now have taprooms that are open regularly to the public, and brewery open days have become popular events in their own right. These events often include brewery tours, meet-the-brewer sessions, special one-off beers, live music, and street food. Some breweries host annual anniversary parties that have grown into significant local events.
Notable brewery taproom experiences include Verdant Brewing's taproom in Penryn, Cornwall; Northern Monk's refectory in Leeds; Cloudwater's Unit 9 in Manchester; and The Kernel Brewery's Saturday openings in Bermondsey, London. The Bermondsey Beer Mile, a stretch of railway arches in South London housing multiple breweries and taprooms, has become a destination in itself for beer enthusiasts visiting the capital. For combining brewery visits with other activities, our day trip guide has ideas for excursions that include brewery stops.
Beer and food pairing events
The trend for pairing craft beer with food has grown significantly, with many restaurants and breweries now offering dedicated tasting menus matched with beers. These events range from formal multi-course dinners at restaurants to casual street food and beer pairings at taprooms. They offer an excellent way to explore how different beer styles complement different cuisines and ingredients.
Practical tips for beer festivals
Pace yourself. With hundreds of beers available at larger festivals, the temptation to try everything is strong but counterproductive. Most festivals offer third-of-a-pint measures, so take advantage of smaller pours to sample more widely without overindulging. Eating well before and during the event is important, and most festivals now have good food options available.
Keeping notes on what you try helps you remember favourites, and many festivals provide tasting note cards or apps for this purpose. Designated drivers and non-drinkers are increasingly well catered for, with many craft beer festivals now offering alcohol-free beers from the participating breweries. Public transport is always the sensible option for getting to and from festivals. For general festival planning advice, our dedicated guide covers everything from transport to what to bring.
The UK's beer festival calendar runs year-round, with summer being the busiest season but winter festivals offering a welcome antidote to dark evenings. Whatever your taste in beer, there is an event somewhere in the UK that will introduce you to something new and delicious.
