St. Ives Beer Festival
Friday 30 and Saturday 31 May 2008

Entry to the Festival

Opening Times: 1100-2300 Friday & Saturday (or when the beer runs out - which it shouldn't this year!).
Admission: £3.50 (£2.00 for CAMRA members) includes 2008 festival souvenir pint glass 
Free entry to all who bring their  CURRENT festival glass back for another visit.
Note: This will again be a beer token beer festival: one token per half pint

Special for this Festival:  A very limited edition pint souvenir Tankard - cost £3.50 or upgrade from the regular glass for £1.50.  First come, first served - and there ain't many available, so get in quick!

The Beers

It's not possible yet to give details of all the actual beers (things change up to delivery day!), but as we have around 60 or so, we intend to try to provide something a little different from the ones normally available in the pubs. We want to ensure the local brewers are represented, but we hope they will have something suitably seasonal to offer.  There will also be something special from Sharp's Brewery this year, in bottles.

The Entertainment

Entertainment is likely to take place at the following approximate times.  Strolling minstrels and the like have been auditioned, and the probable lineup now looks like that below.  The final programme will be posted here when confirmed.

Getting There

St. Ives is an old fishing town with quaint but confined streets, so there is virtually no parking space in the central area near the Festival. However, there are large, reasonably-priced car and coach parks placed around the centre within a few minutes walk, albeit down short, steep hills. The railway station car park to the south of the harbour and the (much larger) Porthmeor one to the north are each around 6 minutes walk from the Guildhall/Concert Hall, for instance - follow the signs to the Tourist Office.  There are also park-and-ride buses from the car parks further away. However, as ever on these occasions, we advise leaving private cars at home where possible (especially if you don't have a non-drinking driver), as the town is well-served by public transport. There is a good daytime train connection to the main line at St. Erth for Penzance, Truro, Plymouth and beyond, while frequent buses ply the area to cover the local towns and villages. A summary of last bus services home is provided below. As ever, we advise calling the operator before setting out to confirm that services are running as advertised.

Getting There by Rail

There are plenty of suitable trains along the St. Erth to St. Ives branch line at roughly 30 minute intervals for most of the day, many of them connecting with services to/from Plymouth and Penzance.  Journey time 11 minutes.  Check actual times by calling National Rail Enquiries on 08457 484950.  St. Ives station is 7-8 minutes walk from the Concert Hall.  You can also leave the car at Lelant Saltings park & ride station (2 min from St. Erth) and finish the journey by train.

 Getting there by bus - First Devon & Cornwall/Western Greyhound

The best services to/from St. Ives on Friday and Saturday are those variants of the 14 and 17 which basically run from Penzance/St Just or the Camborne direction along different routes.  There are departures at 03 and 33 min past the hour from Penzance bus station (number 17 or 17A) through most of the day until 1835, then at 35 min past for the rest of the evening. The summer service 300 also runs 2 hourly in the daytime around the Penwith coastal villages as well as taking in Penzance and St. Ives. On Friday, you can get to the festival from Newquay at 1000, St Agnes 1056 on Western Greyhound's 501, leaving to return at 1605 or 1805.  The number 14 service is roughly hourly and runs from as far away as Truro, although  the last one back to Truro leaves St. Ives at 1745 - but you could still make it back there leaving at 2020 or 2120 by catching a 17 and changing at St. Erth station on to an 18B then 18A from Camborne. Remember to visit the toilet first, though!  A late service (2330) also goes to Camborne and terminates.  Call the South West Traveline on 0871 200 2233 for more information.

OTHER LOCAL BEER FESTIVALS

CAMRA Beer Festivals

Independent (non-pub) Beer Festivals

(All events subject to confirmation and licence)

Beer Festivals at Pubs 

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Page updated 11 May 2008