A Beer Festival is an organised event during which a variety of beers will be available for tasting and buying. Beer festivals are held in a number of countries. The oldest is Oktoberfest in Germany.
British beer festivals
In the UK the Great British Beer Festival in August is the largest and most famous, though the festivals at Peterborough and Reading are both very large and are regarded by some as offering a more interesting and distinctive selection of British beers. The National Winter Ales Festival is held in January.
Festivals may be organised by CAMRA, by local pubs, or occasionally by other groups. CAMRA festivals are run by volunteers under direction of the local CAMRA branch. There is an admission fee (to help towards the hire of the venue and similar costs), which is reduced for CAMRA members. Pub festivals use professional bar staff, and there are no entry fees. Beer festivals organised by student real ale societies - some CAMRA-affiliated and some not - have existed for many years, but are currently enjoying something of a boom. These festivals are typically held in union premises, and entry is hence often restricted to students and staff, though exceptions may be made for card-carrying CAMRA members. Student beer festivals vary in size but can easily rival local CAMRA events, with beer numbers in the 80-100 cask region[1].
In all British festivals the beer is sold in quantities of half or full pints.
Some local festivals
American beer festivals
The largest and most famous in the United States is the Great American Beer Festival, followed by Brewtopia; though there are many local events.