Some 3,000 visitors are expected through the doors when Thanet Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) hold their real ale and cider festival in April.
The festival will run from Friday, April 10 – Saturday, April 11 and will be open from noon daily in Margate Winter Gardens.
The event will feature a choice of up to 200 real ales, bottles of speciality and foreign beers as well as 70 cider and perries. It will showcase a selection of local breweries and their distinctive ales as well as from breweries across the UK – some of which will be making a first appearance in Thanet.
As well as the large range of cask ales there will for the first time be a key keg section which will feature 15 real ales from the very hoppiest of IPAs through to sours.
Festival organiser, Martin Knight said: “We are delighted to be staging our 15th Easter Beer and Cider Festival and have chosen our theme to celebrate the 100th anniversary of a local landmark, namely the Scenic Railway which can be found at Dreamland. The logo will feature on all publicity, beer mats, posters, T-shirts and festival glasses.”
Entry is free on both days to all CAMRA members and non-members can pay on the door. Doors open at midday on both days but card carrying CAMRA members can gain fast track entry on Friday from 11am.
Non-member entry is £6 on Friday and £3 on Saturday.
Volunteer co-ordinator Peter Jaquiss said: “We have around 100 volunteers giving up their time to help with not just serving at the festival, but also the four days before to set up and two days afterwards to pack everything up.
“A good majority of these come along year after year to help, not just from the local area, which forges friendships and demonstrates how much everyone enjoys it. Without all this help the Festival simply wouldn’t happen”.
If anybody would like to offer to help it is never too early or late, simply visit www.thanet-camra.org.uk and click on the link.
There will be entertainment on both days with Friday featuring the Bottles Band from 30pm, Gaddzukes from 5pm and the Bread and Butter Duo at 7pm.
Saturday’s line up is 3pm Quiet Americans and 5pm Gaddzukes
The Winter Gardens will be providing a range of hot and cold food in quiet hall and the Learning and Discovery Zone returns for the second year, manned by local industry experts to answer all those burning questions and offering chances to sample all the ingredients and compare the finished product in different dispense methods
The festival will again be supporting the Cheerful Sparrows Thanet charity with a bucket collection – last year £850 was donated by the festival goers.
Find out more at www.easterbeerfestival.org.uk