The question pops up from time to time – “Is there going to be another Reading Beer Festival?” The simple answer is that there are absolutely no plans that there will be another CAMRA sponsored festival in Reading.

So – what happened to the festival? To start with, budgeting was becoming extremely tight. The overheads, like marquees and the trackway for delivery vehicles, had been increasing faster than the income. Given the time slot that we had established – the weekend up to the Early May Bank Holiday – meant the weather could be at opposite ends of the scale, from fine and sunny to cold and very wet. The former meant great crowds and the risk of running out of beer. The latter meant almost empty seating with almost full casks, and a serious deficit.

Fortunately, amongst the volunteer organisers each year, there were those skilled in mitigating the risks. This meant that negotiations, following the stringent analysis by CAMRA national finance officers, eventually meant an approved budget. But it was becoming more and more difficult. It was made clear that, if our festival made anything worse than a small deficit, it would be almost certain to have a significant impact on the overall Campaign finances.

Then came Covid! Festival cancelled!

OK. The festival organisers worked hard on the first post-Covid festival plans. They searched for a more financially viable site. A move back to Kings Meadow where the infrastructure costs were slightly lower and move the date later in the year, when the weather is less of a risk factor, had potential and plans went ahead. A big worry was reaching the level of volunteers to run the festival in the week before, during and the week after the festival – and of course, getting a full team of organisers, who would normally be planning for the next year, even before the current year’s festival had begun. Already all levels of contribution were critical and past year’s volunteers had found other commitments demanding of their time. We knew that after a two-year break it would be harder than before. Then, the firms that supply marquees, toilets and all the other site fixed-cost facilities had wound down for Covid and were limited in what they could now offer and at what price. In the end, another Reading Beer and Cider Festival was cancelled.

This was the final nail in the coffin. A 2023 festival was considered, but we had lost momentum. We had lost volunteers and even some of the organisers’ commitment. Could we significantly downsize to make it viable? Was there a less expensive site available? Volunteers worked hard to come up with a workable proposal, but was there anything feasible? It would have effectively been like starting a completely new festival – which meant the financial risks were greatly increased.

In any case, a very successful annual open-air festival in Twyford was meeting the local desires of the local Beer Festival goers and volunteers. It was regularly making a good surplus for its chosen charity. Twyford has an appeal of being a lower time commitment (days, not a week), but still giving the buzz of a successful, vibrant festival - without killing the workers! Planes for a CAMRA festival in Reading were put on the back burner, the fuel supply for which, gradually ran out.

It's now been seven years since the last CAMRA Reading Beer and Cider Festival. We can claim that it had done its job and run its course. It will never be forgotten by its regular attendees and its volunteers and organisers. Better end with fond memories than becoming a national CAMRA disaster. Let’s raise a pint of beer or cider, maybe in an old festival glass, and drink to the other festivals, big and small that carry on the good work.

Beer Festival Organising Committee

CAMRA also hold their Great British Beer Festival every year. If you're a local brewery and are interested in how they select their beer for that festival you can visit https://members.camra.org.uk/documents/10180/370622/2017-01-25+Beer+Ordering+Process+for+GBBF.pdf/5b251af0-38d0-4b2d-91c6-326c8216898a?version=1.0 (CAMRA member login required)