Key Information for the 2024 event

Note: This information is subject to change

Opening Hours

Thursday: 1pm – 5pm (CAMRA members and trade ticket holders only)
Thursday : 5pm-11pm
Friday : 11am – 11pm
Saturday : 11am – 9.30pm

Entry Costs

On the door, £20 ticket includes entrance, festival glass and refundable beer/cider tokens £10 (£14 for card-carrying CAMRA members). Free entry for designated drivers.

The 2024 festival glass can be returned for a £1 refund.

Age checks will be carried out, and adults 18-25, should bring proof of ID.

Contactless card payments are accepted.

An identification wristband will be issued and must be worn to gain entry to the festival marquee on that day only.

Dogs (apart from assistance dogs) are not allowed in the marquee.

Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult and are allowed in the seating area of the marquee but not in the bar area.

Smoking and vaping are not allowed in the marquee.

Re-entry (or for those wishing not to purchase drinks inside the marquee) to the festival costs £6 (£3 for card-carrying CAMRA members).

Location

The venue is Bromsgrove Rugby Club, Finstall Road, Bromsgrove B60 3DH – Getting there

Drink and Food

The Festival will feature 114 real ales, 20 keg beers and 50 ciders and perries

Beer and cider in the marquee is obtained using refundable tokens which can be purchased on entry, and additional tokens can be bought at the CAMRA shop or the entry desk.

Soft drinks and other drinks are available from the Rugby Club bar

A range of hot and cold food will be available on the field including pizzas, kebabs, loaded fries, fish and chips, pig roast and posh burgers.

Breakfasts will be available from 9.30am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

CAMRA

You can join and find out more about CAMRA at the festival.

Non-members can join CAMRA at the event (including Thursday afternoon) and will receive two free pints.

The CAMRA shop will be selling a selection of books, festival pens and t-shirts.

On Thursday we are judging the British and New World IPAs category for this year’s West Midlands Beer of the Year. We will also be presenting awards for the 2024 Redditch and Bromsgrove Pub of the Year competition.

Entertainment and Live Music

Thursday: No music
Friday evening: Lost Notes 8.30pm
Saturday: Alvechuch Morris Dancers (various times in the day), Got2Sing Choir 11.30am, Blackwell Concert Band 2pm, Clare Portman 4.30pm

Organisation

The festival marquee is run by volunteer members of the Redditch & Bromsgrove branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

The site including food concessions, stalls, music, and food outlets is run by Bromsgrove Rugby Club.

Camping is available from the Rugby Club at £10 per night –  No pre-booking is needed but space is limited – please report to the clubhouse for your ticket before you pitch.

BBQ’s or any form of open fire are not allowed on the field – the field is very dry and the training field for Bromsgrove RFC. Please respect the grounds and clean up after yourselves.

No alcohol can be brought on-site and bag checking will be in operation for this reason.

Festival Tips

The best time to visit the festival for non-members is Thursday evening, Friday daytime and Saturday morning. These sessions will be more relaxed as they will be less busy.

We cannot guarantee that the full range of beers and ciders will be available at all times. This can be due to non-delivery, beer not ready or has finished.

Beer and cider lists (when published are subject to change), any changes will be displayed in the marquee and on the website and social media.

Festival Charity

The Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust is a charity based in Worcestershire which provides support to families affected by childhood cancer. The Trust was founded in 2016 in memory of four-year-old Grace who left behind a wish to help other children. As a caring and compassionate little girl, Grace’s legacy is now the legacy of so many other children too.

Childhood cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease of children in the UK and the charity are determined to change this.

With 1 child in every 450 receiving a diagnosis of cancer before their 15th birthday, childhood cancer is not as rare as we may think.

The Trust provides financial, practical, and emotional support to local families through their family support service, giving families a listening ear at the time when they need it most. This includes an online support group, home visits and bereavement support when it is needed. They also work closely with local hospitals including Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

They also fund research into rare childhood cancers, educate families and clinicians about the signs and symptoms, produce information booklets to explain treatments to families are facing as well as provide financial, practical, and emotional support.

Coralie Hudson, Community & Corporate Fundraiser at the Trust said:
“We are delighted and thrilled to have been chosen as Bromsgrove Beer and Cider Festival’s charity for 2024. Our heartfelt thanks for you to CAMRA and the festival team for choosing to support us, helping raise awareness and pledging to make a difference to the lives of local oncology children and their families.”

The charity receives no statutory funding, so rely on supporters across local businesses and their community to help them raise the £600,000 each year to fund their vital services and continue their fight against childhood cancer.

Some examples of their impact to date:

  • Distribution of over 1,549,000 awareness cards and over a million digital copies of the signs and symptoms of childhood cancer for parents and health professionals. They are funding the insertion of this card into the PCHR (Infant Red Book given to the parents of newborn babies) in many regions.
  • £470,000 of research funding into childhood solid tumours (currently very underfunded). This has included research into rhabdoid and other solid tumours to search for better and kinder treatments for children with these aggressive tumours.
  • Funded £182,000 of financial support to families when a child is diagnosed with cancer if they relapse or sadly pass away.

For more information about the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust, their services and how you can get involved with their events and fundraising, please go to: www.gkcct.org or email: contact@gkcct.org or call 01905 885777.  Because the children of today, all deserve a tomorrow.