A POPULAR festival in the UK that has been running for nearly 50 years has been cancelled next year.
The Great British Beer Festival has been forced to scrap the event in 2024, due to problems with gaining a venue.
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The event, which is run by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), has been running since 1977.
However, the event has been cancelled after plans to hold the vent at the Olympia Exhibition Centre in London fell through, due to renovation works there.
It usually takes place in the first week of August, and is one of the biggest beer events in the country, attracting as many as 60,000 people every year.
Event director Catherine Tonry said: “We have taken the difficult decision not to go ahead next year as our current venue could not secure the dates we required, impacting on our volunteers and potentially on other events across the country.
“Ongoing building works could also impact on CAMRA being able to host our flagship festival to the high standards we have always prided ourselves on. It is essential our flagship event is the absolute best it can be for everyone who volunteers or attends.”
She added that other CAMRA events would be taking place elsewhere in the UK and were “looking forward to 2025” when it hopes to return.
Fans of the event have shared their sadness on social media.
One person said: “That’s such a pity. It’s the highlight of my year.”
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Someone else simply said: “Sad news.”
Others called for the event to be held elsewhere so it could still go ahead.
One person wrote: “Always thought Birmingham would be a better place to put it. Pretty central and good transport links.”
Another added: “Winter Gardens in Eastbourne is a fantastic venue. 10 mins walk from the station, just over an hour from London.”
The only other years it was cancelled were in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid, as well as in 1984.
Another popular beer festival in the UK is Wetherspoon’s 12-day real ale autumn festival.
Often running in October, punters can buy pints for just £2.
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And we’ve rounded up the top 10 cheapest places in Europe for a pint of beer – starting from just 92p.
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