49th Loughborough Beer Festival

The 49th Loughborough Beer Festival is one of the East Midlands’ most eagerly anticipated annual events, and for very good reason. Returning to the Polish Club on True Lovers Walk from Thursday 5th to Saturday 7th March 2026, this beloved real ale festival has spent nearly five decades cementing its reputation as a must-attend occasion for anyone who takes their pint seriously. Whether you are a seasoned CAMRA member or simply someone who enjoys discovering great craft beer in good company, the 49th Loughborough Beer Festival offers an experience that is genuinely hard to match anywhere else in the region.

Organised by the Loughborough and North Leicestershire branch of CAMRA — a branch with over 700 members — this festival is the highlight of their annual calendar. Every edition builds on decades of expertise, passion, and community goodwill. The 2026 event continues that proud tradition, offering over 70 real ales, ciders, and perries, all expertly kept and served by enthusiastic volunteers who clearly love what they do.

The headline attraction at the 49th Loughborough Beer Festival is, of course, the beer itself. This year’s festival boasts over 70 real ales available to sample alongside a fine selection of real ciders and perry. With 39 breweries represented in the line-up, the range spans everything from classic milds and golden ales through to robust stouts and hoppy pale ales that showcase the very best of British craft brewing.

CAMRA members receive free admission and an extra £2 of tokens, making it brilliant value to sign up if you have not already done so. Non-members pay just £15 at the door, which includes a commemorative festival glass, the entrance fee, and a generous £10 card of tokens — enough to get a very pleasing cross-section of what is on offer. Beer tokens are the order of the day at the bar; contactless card payments are accepted at the entrance desk and the food kitchen, but all beer is purchased by token only, so do plan accordingly. Keen experimenters will be glad to know that third-pint measures are available — simply ask at the entrance desk for a marked third-pint glass and work your way through the range at your own pace without overcommitting to anything that does not take your fancy.

For a look at regional brewing excellence in the Midlands more broadly, the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is a superb resource for discovering real ale festivals and champion beers across the country.

Ask any regular attendee what makes the 49th Loughborough Beer Festival special and they will invariably mention the atmosphere. There is something wonderfully unpretentious about a CAMRA-run festival: the focus is squarely on good beer, good conversation, and enjoying yourself without any of the fuss that sometimes accompanies larger commercial events. The Polish Club provides a welcoming, characterful setting — familiar to Loughborough regulars yet always pleasantly buzzy during festival week.

The event runs across three sessions over the course of Thursday through Saturday, giving visitors the flexibility to drop in when it suits them. Thursday tends to attract those keen to sample the selection before the weekend crowds arrive, while Friday and Saturday naturally bring a livelier, more social energy. Whichever evening you choose, you will find volunteers who are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and genuinely pleased to help you find something you will enjoy.

One small but thoughtful touch this year: there will not be a new commemorative festival glass, as the organisers are making good use of existing stock supplemented by pint glasses borrowed from the Great Central Railway. It is exactly this kind of practical, community-minded approach that makes the Loughborough festival feel refreshingly grounded compared to flashier alternatives.

No festival worth attending runs on beer alone, and the 49th Loughborough Beer Festival has that covered. A kitchen operates on site throughout the event, offering food that pairs nicely with a pint and keeps the energy going across a long session. Payment at the food kitchen can be made either by tokens or contactless card — a handy dual option that means you will not need to queue for additional tokens if you simply fancy a bite to eat.

The format remains refreshingly simple. There are no elaborate VIP packages or premium tiers to navigate — just straightforward, good-value entry, a fair allocation of tasting tokens, and the freedom to spend the evening exactly as you please. For those who enjoy keeping a record of what they have sampled, a programme or beer list is typically available on the night, making it easy to track your way through the selection in a methodical (or gloriously spontaneous) fashion.

If you are planning a broader night out in Loughborough before or after the festival, the town has a strong selection of real ale pubs worth visiting. Our guide to the [best real ale pubs in Loughborough] covers some of the finest options within easy walking distance of the town centre.

What truly sets the 49th Loughborough Beer Festival apart from a typical ticketed drinks event is the depth of community spirit running through everything it does. The Loughborough and North Leicestershire CAMRA branch has been nurturing this event for nearly 50 years, and that accumulated love and expertise shows in every detail — from the careful conditioning of every cask to the warmth with which volunteers greet returning faces at the door.

CAMRA’s Loughborough branch is particularly active, running monthly branch meetings at rotating local pubs, organising trips to beer festivals and towns around the country, and actively campaigning for real ale and real pubs across the region. With a membership base of over 700 people, the branch has genuine roots in the community, and the festival serves as its most visible and joyful expression of that commitment. Proceeds from the festival help fund CAMRA’s ongoing campaigning work, meaning that every pint you drink is, in a very real sense, a small act of support for the future of British pub culture.

There is also something genuinely special about attending an event that has been running since long before most of its attendees were born. The 49th edition carries the weight of 48 previous festivals — each one a thread in the larger story of Loughborough’s relationship with real ale. Regulars bring friends who become regulars themselves, and the cycle continues, year after year, pint after pint.

If you are anywhere near the East Midlands this March and have even a passing interest in well-kept real ale and genuine community atmosphere, the 49th Loughborough Beer Festival should be firmly on your radar. With over 70 beers on offer, a welcoming venue, fair prices, and the organisational expertise of a CAMRA branch that has been perfecting this event for nearly half a century, it is one of the finest regional beer festivals in the country.

Tickets are £15 on the door (free for CAMRA members), and the festival runs from Thursday 5th March to Saturday 7th March 2026 at the Polish Club, True Lovers Walk, Loughborough LE11 3DB. Whether you come for the beer, the community, or simply a thoroughly enjoyable evening out, the 49th Loughborough Beer Festival is very unlikely to disappoint. We will see you at the bar.