Popular festival for 2024 has been canceled – and fans say it’s discrimination
A drinks festival that has been running since 1975 has been canceled for 2024 due to problems securing a venue.
The Great British Beer Festival has formally announced it will have to cancel this year due to its usual London venue, the Olympia Exhibition Center, being unavailable.
The venue is undergoing renovations which is why organizers CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) have made the decision to cancel their 2024 flagship festival.
The beer festival usually takes place in the first week of August and features around 400 British beers, fresh from local breweries.
Fans ask CAMRA why they can’t host the festival in another UK city, citing examples of what would make a great drinks venue.
A pint of beer is served at the Great British Beer Festival on August 1, 2006 in London. The Great British Beer Festival serves a range of real ale, cider and bottled beers, but won’t return until 2025
Event director Catherine Tonry said: ‘We have made the difficult decision not to go ahead next year as our current venue could not guarantee the dates we needed, which will impact our volunteers and potentially other events across the country .
‘Ongoing construction work may also mean that CAMRA can deliver our flagship festival to the high standards we have always been proud of.
“It is vital that our flagship event is the absolute best it can be for everyone who volunteers or attends.”
But all hope is not lost for beer drinks, as CAMRA has plans for the Great British Beer Festival returns in 2025.
One user wrote on
This was followed by another disgruntled beer drinker: ‘Perhaps the great British beer festival could be held somewhere other than London, especially given the great brewing that takes place in Sheffield, Manchester, Bristol, Nottingham, Edinburgh…’
One user suggested a large inland city as an alternative location: ‘I always thought Birmingham would be a better place. Quite central and good transport connections.
Another wondered: ‘Would you like to support some smaller festivals in and around London instead?’
Some X users felt that the festival organizers weren’t trying hard enough to move
And a user equally fed up said: ‘Isn’t this an opportunity to move the festival to another location? Manchester for example. Why always London? It’s time for the North of England to hold on to it’.
The news comes shortly after research found that drinking beer can be good for your gut health and your immune system.
Researchers found that drinking pints in moderation could be better for some aspects of your health than abstaining entirely.
Drinking beer is thought to strengthen the body’s immune system due to a collection of healthy bacteria that benefit the gut.
Drinking beer is thought to strengthen the body’s immune system, as several ingredients cause the growth of bacteria that benefit the intestines.
The research from Dalian Medical University in China shows that polyphenols, fiber and ethanol in beer are the most important ingredients to boost your immune system.