Beer festivals 2021 UK!
Sunshine, rising temperatures and longer days call for fresh beers, and there’s nothing better than discovering your newest favourite surrounded by an amazing festival atmosphere. Remember festivals?! They feel like a distant memory, don’t they?!
Lots of festivals have been rescheduled for the second half of 2021 but we must be cautious, we have no idea what the rest of the year has in store for us just yet. We understand the excitement and yearning for fun things, so we have come up with a list of the upcoming events that are planned to take place. Please be aware that this is subject to change.
That being said, please support your local independent pubs, bars, breweries & bottle shops. They need it now more than ever. And sign up to our newsletter, subscribers are the first to hear about any beer news updates and events, along with new products and sales!
Beer festivals near me: Check out local festivals below:
February 2021
17th-20th February | Manchester
The Manchester Pubs Matter Festival
Kicking off this year’s festivities is the Manchester Beer and Cider Festival, which takes place at Manchester Central. Head over for a whopping choice of over 745 different beers, ciders, fruit wines and gins spanning 24 bars. Beer-wise, though, you can expect to try a bit of everything from traditional British ales to modern and international crafty beers.
March 2021
TBC | Sheffield
Sheffield Beer Week
Collaboration is the message at the heart of this week-long celebration, which takes place throughout the city in various local pubs, restaurants and bars. You’re free to roam around brewery open days, sample food pairings at participating restaurants, and enjoy tap takeovers hosted by bars in the city - all in the name of celebrating Sheffield's beer scene.
19th-21st March | Birmingham
Great British Beer Festival Winter
Birmingham is set to host the Great British Beer Festival Winter 2021. Expect a beer line up of all kinds, from light to dark ales, stouts, porters, bitters, world beers and ciders. If beer tasting, great food, live music and award-winning brews sound like your thing then head to New Bingley Hall this March, the ‘biggest and boldest venue in the West Midlands'.
April 2021
TBC | Manchester
We Are Lager
The UK’s biggest dedicated lager festival returns this year with the ethos, “Drink Better Lager”. The four day event in Manchester’s Deansgate aims to showcase the best lager they can get their hands on in an effort to demonstrate the power of this often overlooked beer style. It’s accompanied by music from Manchester’s longest running club night, Funkademia.
June 2021
5th - 6th June | Belfast
Belfast Craft Beer Festival
This is still TBC. In previous years craft beer and gin lovers have united at the Belfast Craft Beer Festival, which features a Gin Garden as its headliner! But don’t be fooled: craft beer still takes centre stage. Put their 200+ list of top quality Irish brewers to the test alongside servings of gin cocktails, ciders, pizzas, hot dogs and of course, a thoroughly buzzing atmosphere.
July 2021
29th- 31st July | London
BrewLDN
A new festival on the scene, BrewLDN. They believe the secret to a good beer festival is beer, and lots of it. With over 150 brewers represented you can see old favourites and find some new ones! They work with some great music talent and partner with 8 gourmet street food vendors to bring you the best street food going!
30th - 31st July | Bristol
Bristol Craft Beer Festival
Lloyds Amphitheatre in Bristol is the setting for the Bristol Craft Beer Festival, which boasts hundreds of special beers. And, like the Edinburgh event (see below), a ticket grants you access to the festival as well as all your beer, a glass, and the festival magazine.
July - August | Manchester
Summer Beer Thing 2021
Summer Beer Thing returns this summer with a new look, offering a month-long festival of beers from local and national breweries. It presents the very best beer styles from the North West’s abundant brewery scene. With a focus on freshness and perfect summer pairings, expect cherry picked craft beers and the tastiest street food you can imagine. Summer Beer Thing will be back in 2022 with more vibes in some form or another. Cheers!
August 2021
6th - 7th August | Leeds
Hop City
Northern Monk are going ahead with their new revised date in August, they don’t expect the brewery line-up to be affected by the date changes,
12th-14th August | Liverpool
Liverpool Craft Beer Expo
This one’s definitely worth checking out if you’re the early-adopter type or keen to discover exciting and innovative new craft breweries from all over the world. It’s held at the Invisible Wind Factory, which is “a cultural theme park of the future”. That says it all, really, doesn't it?
13th-15th August | London
London Craft Beer Festival
Head to the Olympia Exhibition Centre in London for CAMRA’s Great British Beer Festival. This yearly event promises a truly enormous selection of craft beers and real ales from all around the world to fill the space, along with fun.
20th-21st August | Nottingham
Nottingham Craft Beer Festival
Starting in 2013 Nottingham's Craft Beer Festival is evidence of rapidly growing craft beer scene. It's going from strength to strength. With 30+ bars and breweries from around the city, it's the best place to enjoy beer, street food and live music.
20th - 21st | Edinburgh
Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival
The first breweries are soon to be announced for this exciting event in Leith, but we do know that along with exceptional craft beers from Scotland and elsewhere, attendees will be treated to pop-up kitchens and live music. The best part is, once you’ve bought your ticket, everything’s included (yes, even all the beer), so aside from food and extra merch you can enjoy the festival worry-free.
27th -29th August | Malton
Beertown Malton
Taking place over the August Bank Holiday weekend means warm sunshine & cold beers - something we’re all dreaming of right now. North Yorkshire dwellers would do well to visit the market town of Malton for an afternoon to experience the town transform into a “Theatre of Beer” for Beertown. They'll have beers from the most exciting breweries in the UK. Plus, some incredible bands to provide awesome live music, and street food vendors who will cook up a storm. It will be a party not to be missed.
September 2021
2nd- 5th September | Leeds
Leeds Beer Festival
An annual 4-day festival in the heart of Leeds, celebrating and promoting craft beer brewed in the UK and further afield. The festival also includes a street food market, live music across three stages and all sorts of lovely beer related things.
18th September | Oxford
The Big OXFORD Beer Bash 2021
What better way to enjoy the end of the summer than with a cold beer brewed locally in Oxford? The Oxford Brewers Alliance organise this series of events held across the city to shine a light on the diversity of local beers in the area. Events are yet to be finalised but will be updated soon.
October 2021
21st-23rd | Newcastle
Craft Beer Calling
Quite simply… for one weekend only… an assembly of some of the world’s leading craft breweries under one roof… plus a gin palace… a wine cellar… great music… a sumptuous street food market & an artisan cider cellar.
All done - thanks!