So come rain or shine there is always plenty going on.
When you arrive
Upon arrival at the festival you may be required to queue at the entrance for a short period. There will be two queues - one for people who hold advance tickets and the other for people who turn up on the day. We will endeavour to get you into the festival as quickly as possible.
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| Get your advance ticket scanned upon entry |
When you arrive inside the entrance tent you will either need to pay the entrance fee (if buying on the day) or hand one the staff members your paper advance ticket.
If you have a mobile phone or device that is capable of displaying the contents of the ticket this can be used instead. However it is important that the barcode is visible, as this will need to be scanned upon entry by a staff member to verify the ticket.
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| Pick up your festival glass |
If you have bought in advance, or are a member of CAMRA, EBCU or RURAS you will also be given your drinks tokens at this stage.
Then proceed to the.....
Inside of the main marquee
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| The outside of the marquee as seen from the Beer Garden |
So even in wet weather conditions there is still plenty of room for everyone.
Inside the marquee many of the key attractions can be found. Including the real ale, cider, foreign beer and wine bars.
In addition to the bars there is also a mobile stage unit, used for live music and entertainments throughout Friday and Saturday sessions. The festival games area that comprises of a number of traditional pub game, the CAMRA tombola and products stall along with a range of non food and cold food concessions.
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| A view of the real ale bar |
Bars are set out on the opposite side of the marquee when you approach from the entrance area. Beers and ciders will be listed in alphabetical order with prices listed on the front of each cask. However don't forget that if you purchase a ticket in advance two pints are included with the admission price. See our tickets info page for more information.
Bars
This is where you can purchase from a selection of over 550 different real ales.
There will be four bars in total with a mixture of locally brewed beers (Locale) and beers from around the UK. Some beers are rarely seen in the Reading area so take advantage of them while they are there.
This bar will have over 100 different ciders and perries to choose from.
Much like the real ale bars, a range produced locally and from around the UK will be available.
If you are new to cider and/or perry, a member of staff will be happy to advise you towards something you may like.
A range of imported beers from across Europe will be available from this bar. From Pilsners to Wheat Beers, Lambics to Trappist beers, you will find them all here. Not only bottles but some draught beers too.
Knowledgable and friendly staff will be able to point you towards something you may like if you are unsure what to try.
Wines from around the UK Bar
Fancy something different? Why not try a wine produced from our very own shores. Believe it or not they are very good. We will have a good selection or white, red, rosé and fruit wines, ports and Wines from local vineyard Stanlake Park, based near Twyford is one of the many you can try. For Mead (Honey wine) lovers you will also be able to purchase your tipple from this bar.
The Beer Garden
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| A busy day in the beer garden. |
We place more tables and benches outside in the beer garden due to there being more space available than inside the marquee. If we placed most inside, on a busy day the marquee would be too packed out.
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| A couple of our regular food concessions |
We do our best to have a good range of different types of food available including various world cuisines and vegetarian options.
Around this area of the beer garden you will also find the ladies, gents and disabled toilets and the First Aid post.
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| The Small Strings at last year's festival |
Sometimes outdoor performances can be impromptu as seen in the image, with audience participate highly encourages!
Festival Games
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| Festival Games area |
Some of the highlights include Table football, Long alley skittles. Ring the Handpump and Shuffleboard.
Never mind the Olympics! See if you can be the champion of our games.
Stage
We have a stage in place during Friday and Saturday (both sessions) providing a range of live music and entertainment from opening time to time at the bar in the evening.Coming on Thursday? Then you won't see the stage as this is driven onto the site Early on Friday morning. The stage itself is a converted lorry.
Check out the "What's on" section for a line-up of who will be playing at the 2016 festival.
Merchandise
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| CAMRA products stall |
A range of festival branded merchandise will be available to purchase at the CAMRA products stall.
Also can be found a range of CAMRA products such as T-shirts and publications including the Good Beer Guide.
Finally....
We also have a selection of photographs from previous years on our Flickr page and a few videos on our YouTube channel.
We look forward to seeing you there!