Many of this month’s beer festivals are situated on the peripheries of London, but don’t let that deter you; there’s some great beer to be drunk, and for this month in particular, some great live music to be enjoyed.
10 June: Forty Hall Farm Beer And Blues Festival
Returning for its second year, the beer and music festival at the top of Enfield’s Forty Hill will be serving more than 20 London-produced beers and ciders, accompanied by live rhythm and blues music across two stages. At the time of writing, details of the beers have not yet emerged, but as a CAMRA-supported event it’s likely that most (if not all) of the draught beers will be of the cask-conditioned variety.
Doors open at 12pm on Saturday, and festivities continue until 11pm. Advance tickets cost £10, or a considerably-discounted £5 for card-carrying CAMRA members, and include shuttle-bus transport from Enfield Town and Enfield Chase train stations.
16-17 June: Hampton Beer Festival
This year’s instalment of the Hampton Beer Festival promises, somewhat vaguely but optimistically, to be “bigger and better than last year”. On paper at least, this year’s festival looks set to be quite similar to last year’s, with a “multitude of great beers and ciders” (keep an eye on the beer list) being served across three four-hour sessions in a scout hut close to Hampton Station. Entry to each session costs £5 in advance.
22-25 June: The Naturist Foundation Jazz & Real Ale Festival
Bare is beautiful at the Naturist Foundation, whose 50 acre grounds near Orpington will play host to this clothing-optional beer and jazz festival. There’s not much information on what beers (or ciders) will be available, but a packed schedule of live music on the Thursday and Friday evenings and all day on the Saturday and Sunday should keep visitors entertained. Visitors will also have the use of the Foundation's facilities, including a swimming pool, sauna, sports facilities (petanque, table tennis, volleyball, badminton, and more), and a 2km woodland walk. Day tickets cost £16 or £22, or a ticket for all four days can be purchased for £60 in advance.
30 June - 1 July: Hersham Beer Festival
It may be a bit of a trek for most Londoners, but the Hersham Scout HQ near Walton-on-Thames does seem to be staging a very ambitious beer and music festival at the end of the month. More than 60 beers and ciders are promised, alongside spirits, wines, and the now-compulsory festival food offerings of posh burgers and ‘street food’, but possibly the most notable aspect of this festival is the musical line-up, which includes some reasonably memorable ‘big names’ from the 1990s and early 2000s (anyone remember Welsh rappers Goldie Lookin Chain, or one-time mega-DJ Judge Jules?).
Discounted early-bird tickets have now sold out, but advance tickets are still available from £27.50 for the Friday evening (or £19.50 if you can guarantee you’ll arrive before 6pm), or £35 for all day on the Saturday.
Also…
- Catford Bridge Tavern will be staging their Catford Beer Festival from 23 to 25 June. 40 beers (and ciders and perries), ‘street food’, and live music are set to feature.
- Another month, another painfully-named beer festival at Carshalton’s excellent Hope pub. This month’s groansome pun is ‘The Old Curiosity Hops’. Go for the beer, not the wordplay — keep an eye on the festival’s bare-bones web page for updates on the ales they’ll be serving.
If you’re a lover of beer or pubs, check out our ever-expanding database of the best pubs in London.
