Village calendar highlight – Histon Beer Festival – is back this September. The team believe they can claim it as the UK’s only 7-day beer festival and the ‘best village beer festival (probably)’. Organiser Tim Sparks reveals what’s in store for 2026.
“We’re going to need a bigger boat”. The Histon Beer Festival has been steadily growing, in terms of hours open, beer and cider sold and money raised for local good causes. In 2025 a record £29,600 was raised and, by the time you read this, will have all been given away. Can we better that in 2026? The committee think probably not but they have also been wrong for the last two years.
The Festival is run by a volunteer committee and relies entirely on a small army of volunteers to keep it afloat (oh, another boat analogy). This community-run event is held in a marquee in the garden of the Red Lion, and we are indebted to Young’s Pubs for their continued commitment to hosting this event. We will be open from noon to 11 pm from Monday 7 September to Saturday 12 September. A ticket-only preview session on Sunday 6 September allows us to claim the 7-day title.
The logo
This year’s logo has a World Cup theme – which, in hindsight, some might have considered brave, or foolish, or for supporters of other nations, overly optimistic. Rather like the weather, or the thirst of our dedicated customers, it was hard to predict the future.
Getting a quart in a pint pot
We aim to make improvements each year and take on board, where practical, feedback from last year’s customers. Some of these improvements are about making best use of the fixed space within the limits of the marquee and this will be reorganised for 2026. Putting on the festival is an immense amount of work and we welcome anything that we can do to reduce workload. In recent years, we have made wise investments in better flooring behind the bar, improved beer taps and reduced pipework, a one price policy and a chilling system for the cider. In 2026, we aim to organise our deliveries better so that we can cope with the sheer number of barrels (135 in 2025).
We have also developed an app, which will launch ahead of this year’s festival, to show what is currently on sale and this was road-tested, successfully, at the Haddenham Beer Festival in June.
More choice
Our valued customers want dark beers, and golden beers, and gluten-free beers, and vegan-friendly beers. They want dry cider, and sweet cider, and fruity cider (note: yes, we know that apple is a fruit). By the time you read this, we will have nearly sorted the beer and cider lists and we think we will please most of the people, most of the time. There will be a choice of 60 ales and 20 ciders. We’re also having a wider selection of food.
Music
Rather like the beer, for our music line up we aim for variety and, also like the beer, this means that, each year, we retain some favourites but introduce something new and different. Sadly, we don’t have the time or budget for all the acts we would like to book (just like the beer really). Some of you might remember The Lightwaves from a short set they did at last year’s festival. We were so impressed, we promoted them to an evening slot and they will play this year on Wednesday. Likewise ska band, Knackers, impressed us on one of our band research events over the last year and are now booked in to play Friday evening. Check out the full list of planned entertainment for the week at our Festival website.
Volunteers
We could not do any of this without the very many people that help out. You will see some of them pouring drinks but there is a long list of others that help with setting up and taking down, lending us stuff and storing our equipment. It is not just a week-long commitment because the planning process is spread right across the year. Within the committee, tasks are allocated and shared and the team can be identified at the festival by their their red t-shirts. Feel free to flag them down with your questions.
FAQs
Q. What drinks do you sell other than ale and cider?
A. None. If you want lager, wine, spirits, soft drinks etc, then these are available in the pub. Go grab them and come back for the atmosphere.
Q. Why do I have to pay an entrance fee?
A. You only have to pay a small amount once for the whole week. This helps to offset the costs of hiring a marquee and paying for bands. Your 2026 festival glass will act as an entrance ticket. Don’t lose it, leave it at home or break it.
Q. What if I don’t want to pay an entrance fee?
A. Come between noon and 5pm Monday-Friday when no entrance fee is charged.
Q. When can I avoid noise and crowds?
A. See answer above.
Q. Where does the money go?
A. It is distributed to local good causes.
Q. How much money does the pub take?
A. None from the sales of ale and cider in the marquee, nor do they levy any charges on us. Thank you Young’s Pubs.
Q. I don’t know what beer to try?
A. Ask us for guidance, read the programme, consult the app, take pot luck.
Q. Can I come back more than once?
A. Oh yes.
Q. Can I book a table?
A. No
Q. Cash or card?
A. Either.
Find out more about Histon Beer Festival and keep up-to-date with news at their website. Check out event sponsors here.
Histon Beer Festival t-shirts can be purchased at the Red Lion for £15. Ask at the bar to find out more or contact the team here. Tickets for Sunday’s preview event are still available. Email the team for details.
READ MORE: Join the Histon Beer Festival crew at exclusive preview night and Histon Beer Festival – much more than just great beer
