Thousands enjoy Peterborough Beer Festival and Gin and Rum Festival over bank holiday weekend

Peterborough Beer Festival 2018 at the Embankment. Visitors to the event EMN-180825-094808009

Not even the rain could spoil a great bank holiday of drinking for thousands of people who enjoyed the Peterborough Beer Festival at the Embankment and Gin and Rum Festival at the cathedral.

With many people delighted to have three days off there was the perfect opportunity to relax and have a few tipples before returning to the day jobs on Tuesday.

The beer festival is a key fixture in the city’s social scene and this year approximately 26,000 people enjoyed nearly 85,000 pints between Tuesday and Saturday last week, of which around 75,000 were of cask beer.

The popular event run by CAMRA also featured a gin bar for the first time with 1,000 gin glasses sold by Thursday night, forcing the organisers to re-order for Friday and Saturday.

Gin and Rum festival at Peterborough Cathedral. EMN-180825-094948009

Mike Lane, chair of the organising committee, said: “It went very well.

“Takings were slightly down on last year with two storms on Friday and Saturday evening, but it was a very good festival again.

“The entertainment marquee as ever was rammed for all of the evening performances and the Friday/Saturday afternoon bands were also well supported.

“A huge thank you to all the local musicians who gave up their time to make the entertainment such a success.”

The overall champion beer was Crowstone from Leigh-on-Sea, which is based in Essex.

Locally, Tydd Steam Brewry in Wisbech was second in the Standard Bitters and Pale Ales section with Barn Ale.

Roman Mosaic from Castor Ales (Castor) took silver in the Best Bitters and Pale Ales category.

And in the Strong Bitters and Pale Ales category a collaboration from Three Blind Mice (Little Downham in Cambridgeshire) and Bakers Dozen (Ketton) saw Citra Lord Glucan take gold.

Second went to Mompessons Gold from Oakham Ales which is based in Woodston.

Meanwhile, around 2,000 people attended the Gin and Rum Festival on Friday and Saturday last week, where more than 60 gins and 60 rums were on offer.

The cathedral is currently hosting astronaut Tim Peake’s spaceship which had nearly 5,000 visitors over the weekend, taking its total number of visitors to roughly 36,000 since the exhibition opened on August 11.

A spokeswoman for Peterborough Cathedral said: “It was wonderful to welcome so many people into this beautiful building at the weekend, whether for the Gin and Rum Festival, to see Tim Peake’s Spacecraft, or simply to see inside the cathedral and attend a service.

“For many this will be the first time they have visited and it is a great privilege to share this inspiring place with them.”