Launching the Wigan Food and Drink Festival 2012

Thursday 1st - Saturday 3rd March 2012

One of the largest real ale festivals in the region.


There will be over 80 real ales, ciders, perries and foreign beers available to taste. Along with food, games and live music.

Entertainment & Admission Prices:

Thursday 1st March - 17:30 to 23:00.
Admission £2
Live Music by Billy & The Tempramentals

Friday 2nd March - Afternoon Session.
12:00 to 18:00.
Admission £1

Friday 2nd March - Evening Session.
18:00 to 23:00.
Admission £3
The music of Old Hall Brass Band

All hail to the ALE!

Paying homage to a quarter of a century of hops and happy memories.

Aged to perfection, matured and a world class body….of organisers. Wigan’s hugely popular CAMRA Beer Festival this year celebrates its 25th anniversary. Since the first Festival back in 1988 down at Wigan Pier, near to half a million pints have been pulled and for almost 100,000 visitors!
Back then at ‘The Mill at the Pier’ it was just £1.10 a pint. Today Robin Park Sports Centre is home to the event which has out lived and out grown many other beer festivals in the North West and in England.

‘One thing that remains the same 25 years later – It’s still packed to the rafters’, says outgoing Wigan CAMRA Chairman – Ken Worthington. ‘At the first festival we had 29 beers listed in the programme. So much beer was sold on that first night we had to order more and by 9.20pm on the Saturday we’d run dry again! It was pretty obvious from that moment that it would be the first of many great festivals.’

There is a free courtesy bus that runs to and from The Anvil Pub (Dorning Street) in Wigan Town Centre to Robin Park Sports Centre. Timetable details will be published on www.wigancamra.org.uk nearer the start of the Festival.

The Wigan Food and Drink Festival promotes the responsible use of alcohol. Visit www.drinkaware.co.uk

The following year, the ‘Pie-man’ logo was born as the logo of Wigan CAMRA branch and each year he is adapted to represent the theme of the festival. In 2012, in the spirit of the Olympics, the Pie Man becomes an athlete and just like the festival itself continues to run!

Since 2009, the festival hained forces with the Wigan Food and Drink Festival. Both events have grown as a result of the new partnership with 2011 being a record year for the beer festival hosting 4600 visitors. ‘Here’s and cheers to another 25 years’ said a proud Ken.