Ulverston Beer Festival
Staff required to work the beer festival! Please turn up at the next meeting so we can put names to jobs!! Setting up will be on the Tuesday from 9am.
Festival Opening Times:
Thursday 4th September 2008. 7pm - 11pm
Friday 5th September 2008. 12 noon - 11pm
Saturday 6th September 2008. 12 noon - 11pm
History of the beer festival
The very first Furness Camra beer festival was instigated by branch stalwart Graham Donning and was held in the Coronation Hall, Ulverston, way back in 1983. Due to the cost of hiring the hall, it was decided to move to the Civic Hall, Barrow, and use the Rydal suite in 1986 through to 1988. However, after the Civic Hall became Forum 28, the company that had the alcohol franchise refused permission to run a festival. For a brief spell, we had hopes of using the function room in Barrow Town Hall but after second thoughts the powers that be decided it wouldn’t be good for the floor. There followed a hiatus of a few years whereby we were homeless until we discovered the rooms above Sub-Zero, also known as Eddysons, on Abbey Road. From 1991 to 1992 we had a couple of successful festivals before the building was sold on. Homeless yet again, in 1993 we held the first ever dedicated Camra Cider festival in the country in a room above the Ambrose, Duke St. If I recall correctly, it was a fairly small affair with around a dozen ciders on sale but it did well with most of the cider being sold. We also had a couple of years running a bar in support of Furness Live Music at the Amphitheatre until the marquee was burnt down! The last beer festival in Barrow was in Geronimos, next to Craven Park, in 1994.The beer was in perfect condition, we had enough staff to cover it but what it didn’t have was customers! The event was a disaster and we made a huge loss. In 1996, as the cost of hire now made it financially viable, we came full circle and returned to the Coronation Hall and have remained here since.
2007 Festival
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