The Brigstock Beer Festival began in 2005, sparked by a neighbourly conversation between Chris Allen and Stephen Calnan in Woodyard Close. Stephen was looking for a fresh way to raise funds for the Brigstock PFA, and Chris—new to the village at the time—shared how his previous community in Waterbeach had successfully run a beer festival to support the local youth football club. As enthusiastic beer lovers, both agreed it was an idea worth bringing to Brigstock.
With a willing committee of Chris, Stephen, Rob Leaning, Richard Cork, Justin Mumford, Duncan Sharrock, George Gordon, Steve Harvey and other invaluable helpers, the very first Brigstock Beer Festival took shape. Held solely on the Saturday and centered around the village hall (the bridge to the Meadow wasn’t installed until 2010), the event featured stalls around the car park and an evening band performance with its own ticketed entry.
That first year we showcased nine barrels from newly established local breweries, including Nobby’s, Digfield, Pot Belly, and Nene Valley—captured perfectly by our original strapline: “Local Beer, Local Food, for Local People.”
The result? A fantastic £2,000 raised for the PFA. By 2008, that figure had grown to £8,000.
Notable Moments Over the Years
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The One Show Home Brew Final: The BBC’s One Show hosted the final of their national home-brew competition at the festival, judged by Neil Morrissey. A full day of filming for a ten-minute feature—an unforgettable moment for BBF.
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Expansion to the Meadow (2010): With the opening of the bridge, we were able to spread out onto the Meadow, keeping clear of cricket matches. One year even saw portable hedges used to keep the festival out of sight of players mid-game!
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Leadership Through the Years: Chairs have included Stephen Calnan, Chris Allen, Rob Leaning, Justin Mumford, Matt Johnson, and Andy Stanley.
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Comedy Night Launch (2011): Another of Stephen’s ideas, this quickly became a popular addition to the festival calendar.
By 2016, the Brigstock Beer Festival had raised an incredible £78,000 for local groups and charities—and the total has continued to climb thanks to many successful years since.
We’ve never had a festival fully rained off, though during our Mexican-themed year we did have to move everyone indoors when the skies threatened late in the afternoon!
The Brigstock Beer Festival has thrived for two decades thanks to the dedication, creativity, and hard work of a committee that has never been afraid to evolve, experiment, and rise to new challenges. It remains a wonderful community tradition—rooted in good beer, good times, and doing good locally.