Beer, cider, music and food return to St Albans this week. Here is everything you need to know about the popular event.
St Albans Beer & Cider Festival returns to The Alban Arena today (September 23) until Saturday, September 26.
The festival runs from noon to 11pm each day, with four days of drinks, entertainment, food and activities.
Organisers say ticket packages are on sale now, with online booking offering the best value.
More than 300 cask ales, craft beers, lagers, international brews, ciders and perries will be available. The line-up includes classic favourites, rare finds, limited-edition brews and American casks shipped across the Atlantic for the festival.
Premium wines and spirits will be available alongside alcohol-free drinks and soft drinks.
Drinks and bars
Several bars will serve drinks across the venue.
- Stage bar
- Hertfordshire bar
- Regional spotlight bar featuring the West Midlands
- International floor
- Cider and perry bar
Wine, spirits and cocktails are on the menu too.
Soft drinks, no- and low-alcohol drinks, gluten-free choices and vegan options will also be available.
Breweries appearing at the festival include:
- Cloudwater Brew Co
- Mad Squirrel Brewery
- Oakham Ales
- Siren Craft Brew
- Timothy Taylor's
- Tring Brewery
- Triple fff Brewery
- Wantsum Brewery
Bars and seating will be spread across three floors and an outdoor area.
Food and snacks
Food will be served by a range of traders.
- Pizza Wow
- Sukanya Thai
- The Crusty Pie Company
- Spread 'Em Sandwiches
- Kotino's
Live music
Live music will be staged in the main hall unless stated otherwise.
Half Life will perform from 8.30pm to 11pm today.
The Bear Pit Band will play from 5pm to 7pm on Thursday, September 24, followed by The Imitation Zone from 8.30pm to 11pm.
Friday’s line-up features Many Bats from 2pm to 4pm, The Landlord from 5pm to 7pm and Cherry from 8.30pm to 11pm.
Saturday’s music starts with Sweetcornbread from midday to 1.30pm, followed by Mark Banks & The Remedy from 2.30pm to 4pm.
Strictly A Cappella plays in the Patio Area from 4pm to 5pm, followed by Smokestack Black from 5pm to 7pm and The Meantime Band from 8.30pm to 11pm.
Other events
Tim Hickford will lead a free Festival Tour and Beginners’ Guide at 7pm on Thursday, September 24.
Roger Protz will host session two of The Beer from the Wood Experience at 8pm on Friday, September 25.
Nightly music bingo runs from 7.30pm to 8.30pm in the main hall, with songs spanning the decades.
Festival games
- Table Skittles
- Shut the Box
- Shuffleboard
- Ring the Handpull
- Northamptonshire Skittles
- Table Football
Getting there
The festival is at The Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans, AL1 3LD, just off St Peter’s Street in the city centre.
Buses stop on St Peter’s Street, a couple of minutes from the Arena. The two railway stations are a 12- to 15-minute walk away.
There is a network of buses from many parts of Hertfordshire to St Albans, alongside local services around the city.
Listed routes serve Luton, Harpenden, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Watford and Hemel Hempstead.
Thameslink trains serve St Albans City station frequently throughout the day, with services between Brighton, Gatwick Airport, London and Bedford.
London North Western Railway serves St Albans Abbey from Watford Junction, with connections to the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and Scotland.
Tickets and booking
Ticket packages are on sale now and can be booked online.
Individual package prices and door-admission costs are not specified.
Every ticket package costs less than the equivalent door price and includes a souvenir glass and a £10 beer and cider token card.
Visitors can pay on the door, subject to venue capacity, but admission costs more because the venue charges commission.
Anyone paying on the door must buy a glass and drinks tokens separately inside the festival.
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