A reet good idea to bring festival back

A fledgling ale bonanza was such a big hit with Wigan boozers last year that it is making a come-back.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th May 2016, 07:00 BST
Bar staff at the ready at Wigan's first Reet Good Beer FestivalBar staff at the ready at Wigan's first Reet Good Beer Festival
Bar staff at the ready at Wigan's first Reet Good Beer Festival

The first ever Reet Good Beer Festival took place last September at the heart of Wigan town centre on Mesnes Field, offering a great weekend of quaffing and live music while raising more than £15,000 for the Wigan Youth Zone charity.

And this September, the festival is set to return and organisers are promising to be even bigger and better.

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The event will take place from Thursday to Sunday September 22 to 25, with tickets on sale now from as little as £3 at the Reet Good Beer Festival website.

Visitors to the Youth Zone Reet Good beer festivalVisitors to the Youth Zone Reet Good beer festival
Visitors to the Youth Zone Reet Good beer festival

The massive bar will feature 100 beers, ciders and perries, while new for this year will be the addition of an exclusive Prosecco bar – for those who want a little extravagance with their pie and peas.

In addition to the array of ales and refreshments on offer, there will be a myriad foods available at the festival including curries, chilli and barbecue favourites.

The entertainment for the 2016 event is also being super-sized, with a number of top-quality acts on every single day of the festival.

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Confirmed performers so far include QE2, a popular Queen Tribute Act, who are playing on the Friday while The Angelettes, a top-notch soul and Motown tribute trio, will be topping the bill on the Saturday night.

Visitors to the Youth Zone Reet Good beer festivalVisitors to the Youth Zone Reet Good beer festival
Visitors to the Youth Zone Reet Good beer festival

The Sunday of the festival will be family-friendly with soft play, inflatables for the kids and performances from Pemberton Old Wigan band and the famous Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band (remember the Floral Dance?).

Proceeds from the event will go towards the running of local charity Wigan Youth Zone, which offers state-of-the-art facilities for all the young people of the borough.

Youth Zone general manager John Harker said: “Our first ever Reet Good Beer Festival was a great success last September, with almost 2000 people attending the event. We had a great turnout for all four days of the festival with 11 live acts playing, a great selection of ales and a family fun day on the Sunday – we made sure there was something for everyone. This year, the festival is back with gusto, we are booking even more acts and launching our new Prosecco and Cider Bars.”

“The Beer Festival is a chance for local people to get involved with our charity.”

To buy tickets for the event, go to www.reetgoodbeerfest.co.uk/tickets.