FAQs

Answer: The fourteenth annual Guildford Beer Festival is on Friday, 14th and Saturday, 15th June 2024.

Answer: Once again at Guildford Cricket Club at The Sports Ground in Woodbridge Road, Guildford GU1 4RP. The Beer Festival takes place in large marquees at the Railway End of the ground. There will be seating outdoors and under cover, but please dress appropriately for the weather.

Answer: Guildford Cricket Club in Woodbridge Road is very close to the town centre. It is a short walk from Guildford Railway Station and from Guildford Bus Station. Most visitors come by public transport. There is very limited free parking in the ground operated on a first come first served basis.

If you arrive on foot, you will enter the venue via the Pavilion End gate on the corner of Woodbridge and Wharf Roads.  Vehicular access is via the Railway End gate (close to the Woodbridge Café). There is no access for pedestrians via the Railway End gate.

Answer: There are three separate timed sessions – you buy a separate entrance ticket for each session. Session One is on Friday evening (6.00pm – 10.00pm). Session Two on Saturday afternoon (12.00pm – 4.00pm) and Session Three on Saturday evening (6.00pm – 10.00pm).

Answer: The last admission is one hour before the Session ends.

Answer: Each person attending needs to buy an admission ticket.  You then need to pay for whatever beer, other drinks and food you consume at the event.

Admission tickets are £12.00 per person for each session until the 1st June, it will then be £15.00 per person for each session.

Unlike some other beer festivals, there are no booking fees on top of the ticket price.

You pay for all drinks and food using plastic GBF tokens.  You can purchase tokens in advance online (at the same time as you buy your admission ticket), or upon arrival or during the afternoon or evening session.  Tokens are used at most beer festivals. It makes paying for beer and food simple and quick, speeding up service.

Tokens purchased at the event will be available in various multiples and the cost works out at £2.75 per ½ pint or £5.50 per pint:

2 tokens cost £5.50
4 tokens cost £11.00
6 tokens cost £16.50
8 tokens cost £22.00
10 tokens cost £27.50
12 tokens cost £33.00

All ½ pints of beer or cider cost 1 token. Other drinks will have their prices posted next to them.

You can purchase 8 tokens in advance for £22 at the same time as you purchase admission tickets online.

Answer: The admission price provides you with entrance to the venue, a commemorative GBF tasting glass, souvenir programme with the full beer list and tasting notes, and musical entertainment throughout the evening. It helps pay the significant overheads involved in running the event – hire of the marquees, mobile toilets, lighting, fencing, cleaning, security, insurance and administrative costs.

The admission price does not entitle you to any free drinks. CAMRA pay the full price for their admission ticket but upon arrival they receive a discount in the form of tokens entitling them to two free half pints (you need to show your current CAMRA membership card).

Answer: Yes – we have introduced advance purchase. You can pre-order and pay for multiples of 8 tokens online at the same time as you book tickets. On arrival, you will collect your pre-ordered tokens at the Admission Desk. This will speed up your admission to the event. Please note purchasing a set of tokens does not allow admission, you still need to buy an admission ticket.

Answer: Yes of course. There are signs explaining how much tokens cost and how many it makes sense to buy. Don’t purchase too many – there is NO REFUND for unused tokens at the end. If you run out during the evening, you can easily buy more at the front desk (and there will be no queue after the initial rush).

Card payments preferred, cash accepted.

Answer: Tickets are available:

• Online from the Guildford Beer Festival website.   Note that when you buy a ticket online, you receive your ticket(s) in PDF format by email – no ticket is posted. If you don’t receive your ticket(s) by email by return, check they have not gone to your Junk email folder; and if still not there, please get in touch by email to tickets@guildfordbeerfestival.co.uk so that we can resend them to you.
• In person from Growlers & Cans, 24 Chertsey St, Guildford, GU1 4HD.
• In person from The Fox Inn, Fox Corner, between Worplesdon and Pirbright, Guildford, GU3 3PP.

Note that it is not possible to buy tokens in advance at the Tourist Information Centre.

Answer: Yes – you will receive this at the admission desk. In 2021 due to Covid-19, we were required by the authorities to serve all beer and other drinks in single-use plastic glasses. We are pleased that at this year’s event we will once again have the popular commemorative ½ pint glass bearing the GBF logo and date.

Answer:  Session One on Friday evening always sells out and there is no guarantee tickets will be available on the day for the two Saturday sessions. You are strongly advised to purchase tickets in advance to avoid disappointment.

Answer: Sorry – no. Our policy is no refunds or swaps between sessions of tickets or tokens purchased in advance. However, if you have bought a ticket that you then find you can’t use, you can transfer it to a friend.

Answer: No. It is a condition of our Licence that admission is by ticket to each timed Session. We are required to close the bars and stop serving at 4 pm at the end of the Saturday afternoon Session, with the ground to be clear half an hour later. If you would like to attend the Saturday evening Session at 6 pm, you will need to be re-admitted and have a ticket for that Session.

Answer: The offering will include a range of cask ales and craft keg beers sourced from independent and micro-breweries within a 30 mile radius of Guildford. There will be over 100 cask ales, craft keg beers and ciders to sample from around 25 breweries. The beer line up is extremely varied, with many different ABVs, colours and different styles of beers (IPAs, best bitters, milds, porters, stouts, blonde ales, strong ales).

Please note that we cannot guarantee that all beers will be available throughout. There will always be an extensive selection to try, but some may have run out by the end of each session.

Answer: In addition to the main beer bar, a second bar has a broad range of ciders and wines from local producers along with soft drinks.
There will also be four separate gin and spirits bars. These offer a wide range if interesting gins and spirits from local independent distilleries.

Answer: Yes – there will be several food concessions offering a wide selections of food, including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.
Note that you pay for food using tokens.

Answer: Information on allergens in drinks is provided by suppliers and the GBF makes every effort to highlight this with labels and in the beer list in the Programme. Beers that are Gluten-free are marked as such. An allergy menu covering drinks is may be viewed at any during the event – please speak to a bar manager who will be pleased to assist.
The food stalls at the Guildford Beer Festival are operated by independent concessionaires. They are responsible for displaying information about allergens in foods and providing guidance about dietary issues.
Although we take great, it is impossible for the GBF to guarantee that there won’t be traces of nuts and other allergens on site

Answer: Yes – The GBF is well known for its live music offering. Details of the bands will be shared on our Music and social media pages.

Answer: Sorry – guide or assistance dogs only. The event is very busy and not suitable for dogs.

Answer: NO – Our Licence states that there is strictly no admission for persons under the age of 18. We cannot make any exceptions.

Answer: Yes. It is a condition of our Licence that we have an adequate number of stewards, including SIA licensed security staff. The GBF is traditionally a friendly and relaxed event. Whilst the Organisers reserve the right to refuse entry or require any person who is intoxicated to leave, this has happened only a couple of times in the 13 years the event has taken place.

Answer: As is usual at large public events, our security staff will search bags at the point of admission. Depending on advice received at the time from the police, it is possible there may be additional security precautions.

Answer: Bringing in any drinks is strictly prohibited and misses the point of the event, which is to try a wide range of interesting local beers, ciders, gins, wines, etc. You are welcome to bring your own empty water bottle to fill up with water once inside the event. There will be two clearly marked stand pipes with mains water for visitors to obtain drinking water during the event. 

There will be four different catering stands offering a wide range of meals (including vegetarian options). However, if you prefer to bring your own food for personal consumption, this is fine.

Answer: No, there is no match at The Sports Ground at Woodbridge Road on Saturday 15th June.

Answer: Yes, parking is limited and offered on a first come first served basis. You may park as long as it is removed by 11 am the next morning. Cars parked at the venue overnight are left at the owner’s risk, with the Organisers accepting no liability.

Answer: Yes. The event is very popular with local companies and organisations, who bring groups of their hardworking employees and/or business contacts. We offer a discount for groups of 10 or more. We also offer an all-inclusive corporate package comprising admission tickets and tokens for drinks and food. Further details will be posted here on the website shortly, or you can obtain further information from Chad Murrin on 07767 224632 or at chad_murrin@msn.com.

Answer: Yes. There are a number of sponsorship options. You can obtain further information from Chad Murrin on 07767 224632 or at chad_murrin@msn.com.

Answer: Yes. Most of our staff are volunteers, including expert assistance from the Surrey & Hants Branch of CAMRA and students at Surrey University studying International Event Management.  If you are interested in joining the team, please sign up here.