Cambridge Beer Festival is coming next week, and with it CAMRA’s prestigious Champion Beer of Britain 2026 competition.
The festival runs from Monday, 18th May, to Saturday, 23rd May, on the picturesque Jesus Green park, just across the road from historic Jesus College. The winner of Champion Beer of Britain will be announced on the festival’s second day, Tuesday.
Often attracting around 40,000 visitors, last year beer lovers enjoyed more than 69,000 pints of British beer, 10,650 pints of international beer, 8,100 pints of cider, 5,740 glasses of mead, and 3,400 glasses of wine.
This year, the festival boasts more than 300 UK and international beers, including the Champion Beer of Britain finalists while stocks last. There will also be range of 80 ciders and perries, plus mead and wine. There will be more than 20 gluten-free beers on offer, and a new low and no bar.
With 2026 marking the 100th anniversaries of both Winnie the Pooh and Paddington Bear, this year’s festival theme will celebrate bears with a range of collectables. And, of course, there will will be bear-themed beers, such as Marmalade Sandwich (6% ABV), an amber beer brewed with orange peel by Green Jack Brewing, in Suffolk, and The Beer Necessities (5.5% ABV), a tropical IPA by Bowler’s, of Peterborough.
“Once again, we’re looking forward to welcoming everyone to Jesus Green and our fantastic range of beers, ciders, mead and wine,” said festival organiser Neil McGovern. “Last year we had around 37,000 people attend.
“At the moment, the weather is looking dry and warm! I would encourage you to get your tickets early and come along to what promises to be a fantastic event, with the added bonus of finding out who has been crowned Champion Beer of Britain.”
Shelly Bentley, CAMRA’s awards director, added: “A sunny Cambridge is the perfect location for the most sought-after cask beer award in the UK.
“The competition is a reminder of the remarkable brewing talent in all corners of this country, so let’s use Champion Beer of Britain and all six days of Cambridge Beer Festival to celebrate the wonders of cask beer, together.”
