GALLERY: There was a splendid turn-out for the Newark Beer Festival
The sun shone and the crowds thronged to 24th annual Newark Beer Festival on Friday and Saturday.
Around 100 volunteers from the Newark branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), which organises the festival, were hard at work to make sure everyone else had fun.
Branch press officer Ian Dobbs said "It went fantastically well. Friday was very busy and Saturday was manic. The sun brought people out and I think the takings must have exceeded last year's.
"We had to make it one in, one out, on Saturday as we did last year and the queue was stretching onto Tolney Lane. We ran out of cider at about 5o'clock on the Saturday even though we had extra, and by the end of the day the beer was down to just a few barrels left. I think it was quite a success."
Branch chairman Stuart Clift said: "I think it was an outstanding success. we are very happy with it.We had over 2,500 people attending over the two days and I think we sold something like 11,000 gallons of beer, which is what it's all about. There was a great atmosphere, especially on the Saturday."
Newark Mayor Mrs Irene Brown was among the revellers, with music from a string of bands adding to that atmosphere. The Saturday afternoon line-up started with the Hot Dogs Funky Brass Band. "They walked all around the area as they played and got the crowd singing along. Then Country Fair had a very good reception, and headliners Big Stuff were great, as usual," said Ian Dobbs.
The festival also acknowledged the growing popularity of local craft gin with local and regional varieties supplied by Ann Hayes of Ann et Vin as well as English wines, so that even non-beer drinkers were well catered for.
The switch to a two-day festival instead of the usual three meant there was no Sunday festival this year. Whether the shorter format will be retained for 2020 or whether the festival will restore its Sunday session will be decided at a future meeting of the Newark Camra branch committee.
