The Preston Pub Festival is an annual celebration of the city's rich and vibrant pub culture, highlighting both its historic ale houses and its modern craft beer scene. For a city renowned for its historical "Preston Guild," which occurs only once every 20 years, the pub festival offers a more frequent and accessible way to celebrate Preston's community and heritage.
The 2025 festival
The festival, which has recently seen a successful creation, typically takes place over a weekend, with a growing number of pubs participating each year. In 2023, the event brought together 11 pubs to celebrate the city's ale houses, and due to its success, the 2024 festival expanded to include 14 participating venues. The 2025 festival is scheduled to take place from September 19th to 21st, promising another weekend filled with fantastic beer and great company.
Preston Pub Festival encourages a pub crawl-style experience
Unlike a traditional, single-location beer festival, the Preston Pub Festival encourages a pub crawl-style experience, with each participating venue offering a unique selection of cask and craft beers, ciders, and other beverages. This format not only showcases the variety of pubs across the city but also provides an opportunity for locals and visitors to explore different neighbourhoods and discover new favourites. Patrons can enjoy everything from traditional real ales in historic, Grade II listed pubs like The Black Horse, known for its Victorian architecture and national recognition from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), to more contemporary drinks in modern bars.
Beyond the drinks
Beyond the drinks, the festival is a community-driven event. Participating pubs often host live music, special events, and offer unique food pairings to complement the extensive drinks list. It’s a chance for publicans to showcase their establishments and for the community to come together in a shared appreciation of good beer and local hospitality. The festival is organised in collaboration with local groups like the Central Lancashire branch of CAMRA, which works to promote and protect real ale and traditional pubs.
The Preston Pub Festival is more than just a drinking event; it's a testament to the city's enduring pub culture and a modern twist on its historical traditions of celebration and community gathering.7 By celebrating its pubs, Preston is celebrating its past, present, and future, one pint at a time.
Find out the venue involved here.
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