HUNTINGDONSHIRE CAMRA's 'BOOZE ON THE OUSE' BEER & CIDER FESTIVALS

Over the 50+ years of the Hunts Branch of CAMRA, the branch has committed to supporting and showcasing our local breweries and cider producers by running a beer and cider festival. We have a rich history, from the first approach from the Round Table in St Neots back in 1975 asking the then branch committee to run a real ale bar as part of the local Riverside Festival, which they did, notably the first CAMRA festival under canvas! Hunts CAMRA (which started out as St Neots and District CAMRA) has since run a festival most years in St Neots, more recently in the Priory Centre, and also a considerable number of festivals in St Ives in the Burgess Hall. These festivals, now fondly known as Booze on the Ouse, are a major lever in the Branch's toolkit to promote real ale and cider, and promote pubs and clubs through sponsorship and awards. Running these annual festivals is expected to remain a centre piece of the branch into the future.

HUNTINGDONSHIRE CAMRA's 'BOOZE ON THE OUSE' BEER & CIDER FESTIVAL 2025 – GODMANCHESTER, HUNTINGDON

Thu 18 - Sat 20 September 2025

Venue: The Comrades Club, 58 Cambridge Street, Godmanchester, Huntingdon PE29 2AY

FESTIVAL OPENING TIMES

Thu 18 Sep .... 12:00 am to 10:30 pm
Fri 19 Sep ...... 12:00 am to 10:30 pm
Sat 20 Sep .... 12:00 am to 10:30 pm

Main Festival Sponsors:

PHX Mortgages St Neots are the BOTO 2025 glasses sponsor, and we are happy to have their support. We have many other opportunities for festival sponsorship, if you are interested in promoting your business/organisation to the wide variety of festival goers, please contact us at ku.gro.armac.stnuh@pihsrosnops

In addition to our Glasses Sponsor we have Four Main Sponsors, who are supporting us in delivering this festival. They are all local breweries, and you will see a range of their beers in our line-up. Click on their logos below to visit their websites to discover more about each of them.

63 Real Ales, Keg Beers & Real Ciders n' Perries

Real Ales

Over the course of the festival we plan to serve 45 cask conditioned beers and 6 craft beers including an alcohol free option. These will be sourced from both well-established independent breweries and the newer 'craft' micro-breweries. As usual, we will have a wide range of beers sourced from local breweries and some regional breweries from across the UK. We also plan to have some vegan and gluten free beers and feature beers that are shortlisted for the Cambridgeshire regional round of the Champion Beer of Britain Competition, finalists of which will go forward to the final round held at the Great British Beer Festival next summer.

The draft beer list will appear here in the near future, please check back soon to see what will have on offer at the festival, and also beers available for sponsorship.

Cider & Perries

The traditional cider bar will be serving a selection of tasty traditional cider and perry, sourced from quality producers, locally and elsewhere in Britain. There will be 12 ciders and perries available.

The draft cider list will appear here in the near future, please check back soon to see what will have on offer at the festival, and also ciders available for sponsorship.

Other Drinks

A selection of spirits, wines and soft drinks will also be available from the Comrades Club bar within the festival hall. Designated drivers can collect a token on entry for 3 free soft drinks from the CAMRA bar.

ENTRY PACKAGES

£7 for non-CAMRA members
£3 for CAMRA members
Entry packages include a non-refundable souvenir glass.

Bring your own CE (or UK CE) marked glass; reduce the cost of your entry package by £3. Therefore CAMRA members with their own glass effectively get in for free!

Tickets available on the door only - No advance sales

Please Note: No entry or re-admission after 10.00 pm

HOW TO PAY

# THE BOOZE ON THE OUSE FESTIVALS ARE NOW CASH FREE - CARD TRANSACTIONS ONLY - Booze on the Ouse 2025 will be a Card Payment Only Festival - There will be no facility for Cash Payments, so please come prepared for that.

SOUVENIR FESTIVAL GLASS

Once again there will be a Pint Glass option or a Half Pint Glass option.

# The Souvenir Festival Glass is included in the entry package - At Booze on the Ouse 2025 you will get a non-refundable festival glass included in your entry package. There are no Glasses Refunds this year, however you can still choose to return your glass on exit and we will donate £3 to the festival charity. You are still welcome to bring your own CE (or UK CE) marked glass; if you do we will reduce the cost of your entry package by £3.

This year's pint glass design is sponsored by PHX Mortgages

FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

A Summary Festival Programme will be provided in the festival entry package; however if you would like a copy of a Full Festival Programme, a link to this will be made available here once it is finalised. Check back again a few weeks before the festival.

Keep up to date with the status of each of our beers and ciders throughout the festival with our Real-Time listing. Login to the site as a CAMRA member or non-member to mark your favourites and keep a record of your scores. This link will also become available once the draft drinks lists have been published.

FOOD

By popular demand, we will be welcoming back The Cheese & Pie Man as the main festival caterer. A selection of hot and cold food will be on offer at all sessions.
A selection of snacks will be available at the Comrades Club bars, as well as from the Cheese & Pie Man .

SPONSORS

We will be inviting companies, pubs and individuals to sponsor a cask or Keg of beer or a box of cider. For £35 per beer or cider sponsored, you will receive 2 free entry tickets, 2 free festival glasses and 2 free pints.

If you sponsor a cask, you will be able to select which beer or cider you would like to sponsor; this will be on a 'first come first served' basis. Names of companies, pubs or individuals will be displayed above the product(s) they are sponsoring and will also feature on the beer and cider listings on our website and the real-time list. You are also welcome to bring along advertising flyers, beer mats etc. to put on the tables and the bars in the hall.

THE VOLUNTEERS

The Festival is organised and run by members of CAMRA who are all unpaid volunteers. We are always looking for more support, so if you're not already a member, why not join at the festival's CAMRA stand. If you can help at any session, please see Volunteering to help at 'Booze on the Ouse' or contact the Volunteers Coordinator at volunteers@hunts.camra.org.uk.

CAMRA MEMBERSHIP STAND

Come along and chat to our volunteers and learn more about CAMRA, beer, cider, brewing and pubs.

There will be a promotional offer for those joining CAMRA at the festival. You will get your entry fee back by way of a free pint, plus 2 additional free pints. You will also get an invitation to the volunteers post festival social event to further welcome you to the CAMRA family.

* * * A GREAT reason to join CAMRA at the Festival! * * *

FESTIVAL CHARITY PARTNER

Each festival Hunts CAMRA partners up with a local charity to help raise funds for a good cause. We have yet to decide on our 2025 partner charity, but rest assured we will select a suitable partner in dur course. Hunts CAMRA will donate the £3 value of festival glasses that are returned on exiting the festival to our charity partner.

SIX TOP TIPS for a great festival

1. Come early! - You will get the best selection of beers and ciders on Thursday and Friday afternoon. Friday evening is always our busiest session; space, seating and tables will be limited.
2. The beer and cider lists are posted online - Check them out in advance and you can plan what you would like to try. You can also get more information by following us on Twitter (@HuntsCAMRA) or Facebook (HuntsCAMRA), or using the Booze on the Ouse Beer and Cider List & Status
3. The volunteers are real ale and cider/perry enthusiasts - If you are unsure what you would like, please ask them for their recommendations. Our volunteers will be delighted to offer you a couple of 'tasters' so you can try before you buy. You are unlikely to be disappointed!
4. Drink responsibly - Pace yourself and drink thirds or halves. You can then try more different beers and ciders. Start with lower ABV (alcohol by volume) products. There is no need to try everything in one session!
5. Keep hydrated - As well as beer and cider, please drink plenty of water or soft drinks.
6. Bring your friends - Even if they don’t normally drink real ale or cider, we think that most people will enjoy the atmosphere and find something new that they really love. And there are spirits and wine available at the Comrades Club if beer and cider really isn't their thing.

MORE ON THE VENUE

The festival will be held at The Comrades Club, 58 Cambridge Street Godmanchester, Huntingdon, Cambs PE29 2AY

The Comrades Club (Working Men’s and Social Club) formed in 1920 for Comrades of the Great War, is a well respected member in the Godmanchester community and committed to providing members, their families and visitors with excellent beer, facilities, services and entertainment options. Find out more about the Comrades Club whilst at the festival. There will be a representative of the Club alongside us at the CAMRA membership stand, providing details of Club membership.

Getting There

The Comrades Club is located on Cambridge Street in the heart of the beautiful town of Godmanchester, just around the corner from the Causeway of the River Great Ouse. Its a short walk over the bridge from Huntingdon Town Centre, approximately 30 minutes walk from Huntingdon Railway Station and 20 minutes walk from Huntingdon Bus station.

By Bus:

The Whippet Bus X3 operates hourly services connecting Cambridge, Cambourne, Papworth and Huntingdon. The bus passes close to the Comrades Club, the closest stops being Meadow Way and Church Street in Godmanchester. Check out the X3 timetable at whippetbus.co.uk

The Busway Route B operates half hourly services connecting Cambridge, St Ives and Huntingdon bus station. Check out the Busway timetable at thebusway.info

By Train:

ThamesLink services operate at hourly services (half hourly services on weekdays) connecting London, Huntingdon and Peterborough. Check out the train timetable at thameslinkrailway.com

OTHER DETAILS

Families including children are welcome until 8 pm each day.

Whilst lunchtime is the ideal time to bring the family to the festival, we do allow children into the hall until 8pm. Under 18s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.

Please remember that it is against the law to purchase alcohol if you are under 18,
or to purchase alcohol on behalf of someone who is under 18.
If you are lucky enough to appear under 25, you can expect to be asked to prove your age

Assistance dogs are welcome in the festival at all times. Other well-behaved, supervised dogs are welcome, but please avoid peak times (e.g. Friday evening) and show consideration for other customers who may be eating nearby.

CONTACT DETAILS

Festival Organiser (Christopher Bee): festival@hunts.camra.org.uk
Volunteer Coordinator (Juliet Ferris): volunteers@hunts.camra.org.uk

More information

If you have any questions about the 'Booze on the Ouse', please contact ku.gro.armac.stnuh@lavitsef

Spring Booze on the Ouse Beer & Cider Festivals in St Neots

The St Neots Booze on the Ouse Festival has been held in the Priory Centre for a considerable number of years. It so happens that 2025 & 2026 see's the Priory Centre undergoing a major refurbishment, which will mean that we cannot hold a Booze on the Ouse Festival in our usual March time slot in our usual venue.

If you are interested in discovering more details of the Priory Centre refurbishment, please visit their webpage: priory-centre.com/refurbishment

But have no fear, the Booze on the Ouse Festival will return to St Neots in the Spring of 2027.

Photos of Previous Festivals

Other local CAMRA festivals
CAMRA Festivals Nearby
Cambridge Beer Festival
Peterborough Beer Festival
National Festivals
National Winter Ales Festival (NWAF)
Great British Beer Festival New for 2025, held in Birmingham in August