If you need an antidote to the credit crunch, the "lost" summer, the shortening days and the imminent arrival of yet another festive season (bah humbug!) we might have just the event for you!

Yes - it's time, once again, to welcome you to the Kingsway Hall in Dovercourt where Tendring CAMRA have assembled another fantastic selection of exceptional beers.

The empahasis, as always, will be on dark and seasonal brews but you'll find some lovely light golden ales to provide a refreshing contrast. In fact we're really rather proud of our beer selection which features a fascinating cross-section of the UK brewing industry with new beers and old favourites plus, of course, beers that you simply can't get anywhere else. Being a smaller festival means that you can actually see all the beers in one place and, in quieter moments (i.e. not when the Onion Band are playing!), chat to the staff about their favourite subject!

We're delighted to feature another beer brewed specially for the festival this year - Sint Niklaas - Harwich Town Brewery's eagerly awaited take on a dark Belgian beer. Brewed a full 10 weeks before the festival it promises a whole host of spicy fruit flavours!

Not the Church Organ Appeal but the
Sint Niklaas Hydrometer showing an O.G. of 1086!

Friday night sees the switching on of the Dovercourt Christmas lights and another beautifully honed delivery of absolute lunacy and foot-tapping thrash-folk (or is it metal-morris?) by the Onion Band, surely the leading exponents of their own unique style!

This year we also have live music on Saturday night with more local legends - Buckshee - maybe not quite as mad as the Onions but just as addictive!

Staffing

The festival is staffed by CAMRA volunteers and the Staffing Officer this year is Paul Mellor - click here to send Paul an e-mail. If you would like to volunteer to work at the festival here is our staffing form - you'll also need to study the Festival Safety Policy and the CAMRA Volunteers Handbook.

Beer List

Get a copy of the latest Beer List in PDF format here!

Information for Travellers

The festival is located in the Kingsway Hall in Dovercourt Town Centre. The venue is a large, Victorian Church which dominates the town's skyline. Bus passengers on the 103 and 104 services from Colchester should alight in the Town Centre and walk up Kingsway towards the sea front. Rail passengers should alight at Dovercourt station which is one stop before Harwich Town on the line from Manningtree. There are currently hourly direct services from London Liverpool Street.

Resources

Click here to find the venue on Streetmap.

Click here to get a train timetable from National Express East Anglia.

Live on Friday evening, the festival simply wouldn't be the same without the Onion Band!

Live on Saturday evening we have local favourites Buckshee

Last Year's Festival

Last year's festival page is available here.