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Peterborough Beer Festival 2011: Numbers down but spirits high
Peterborough Beer Festival 2011 drinkers brave the rain outside. Picture: Ben Davis/Peterborough ET
Have your say: Organisers of the city’s annual beer festival have declared the event a success, despite a fall in the number of visitors.
In all, some 26,013 attended the 34th Peterborough Beer Festival – a fall from last year’s figure of 31,073, itself a fall of about 4,000 on the previous year.
While 36 hours of torrential rain was blamed for last year’s slump, higher ticket prices and the impact of the recession are thought to have been behind this year’s fall.
The event, held from Tuesday to Saturday on the Embankment, was organised by the Peterborough and District Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra).
Secretary Harry Morten said the branch was forced to put up ticket prices after making a loss last year.
He added: “The general lack of money in people’s pockets must have reduced our numbers, as it has on the High Street and in pubs.”
However, he described it as a “successful” and “enjoyable” festival and said the branch anticipated it would make a small profit – funds which would then be used to help Camra support the industry as a whole.
Some 677 casks of beer, equating to 97,452 pints, were drank across the five days.
In addition, festival-goers enjoyed 12,632 pints of cider, 9,400 bottles of foreign beer and 6,500 glasses of wine.
Traders also spoke positively about the event.
Manager for the Traditional Cider and Perry bar Chris Rogers has been selling at the festival for about 15 years.
He said: “It’s very likely going to be the best sales of cider and perry ever.
“There’s quite a bubble with cider at the moment. It’s definitely on the up on the back of some commercial advertising.”
Jaclyn Bateman, marketing director for the Lincolnshire-based Batemans, agreed the state of the economy had affected the amount people were drinking, but said the idea behind the festival was very much intact and people were “savouring” their choices instead.
She said: “I think it’s quality rather than quantity which is what a beer festival should be about.”
Planning is already under way for the 2012 event, which is due to begin on Tuesday, 22 August, and run through to the following Saturday.
Did you attend this year’s festival? What do you think?
Comment below, email news@peterboroughtoday.co.uk telephone Newsdesk 01733 588719 (office hours) on Twitter - @peterboroughet or find more ways to have your say on our Your Say page
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Friday 25 May 2012
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Comments
There are 9 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
feduppete
Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 02:24 PMI am a member of CAMRA and have been for over 25 yrs but I didn't go to the festival as I object to paying an entrance fee on principle. The festival is the highlight of the year so why should members have to pay anything on entry. Trouble is many pubs have beer festivals of their own where you don't have to pay an entrance fee and I can't help feeling Peterborough CAMRA is a victim of it's own success and is biting the hand that feeds it. I also hear the admission fees are fixed by CAMRA HQ which is totally wrong in my book. Unless things change they will begin to lose members including me.
henry
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 06:06 PMSome one has got VERY greedy!
wistowbased
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 05:18 PM£9 each on the weekend days is way too much, I went with my wife and kids, taxi there and back was £16, add £18 entrance fee plus £6.20 for the 1st 2 drinks and we'd spent over £40 within 2 minutes of being in there, dont get me started about the kids rides there, £5 per kid on the trampoline thing, £2 for 3 slides down a slide. If it's that expensive next year we simply wont go for the 1st time in 15 years!
mithras
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 04:34 PMReal ale is making a really strong come back and any real ale festival should in the current climate be cramming people in. Unfortunately the cost was too high for me. In these challenging times a night out has to offer VFM. This failed that test although I love real ale and good cider. Sorry Camra.
CockneyPosh
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 03:46 PMThe Problem with the festival started at the door.... Like someone said to me to much confusion causes disinterest and that was an understatement to be fair, The music tent was by far the worst i literally stood outside and saw the atmosphere there and it was just poor, people were queing for ages with no correct bar system in place...Peterborogh and district Camra Ass will tell you it was alphabetical, but everyone i met said it should have just been randomised to experience other beers i came to the Festival for one particular Ale and i found it but had to keep switching tents to find others that tickled the taste buds!! And to top it off prices were up from last year a long way!! I am trying now to contact the Camra ass of Peterborough to assist in even t planning as from the feedback i recieved people would have been very interested if it had of been done in the many ways i suggested..... Listen to the punter CAMRA you are not the only ones who enjoy Real Ale but realise as the Irish do with good beer comes good craic, and with good craic comes good memories
Fagan
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 12:56 PM£9.00 Saturday with £3.00 back on return of the glass, throw in a taxi & several drinks is too much
Weevil
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 11:19 AMYou agree to expensive what?
StevieB
Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 05:47 AMi agree, to expensive
me-in-whittlesey
Monday, August 29, 2011 at 05:13 PMI'm not surprised number were down when it costs £6 to get in. No good for designated drivers or those who only want to stay a couple of hours before heading somewhere else.
Page 1 of 1
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