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Please note that if you paid to come in, the souvenir glass was included in the admission charge, as in previous years. A hi-tech cooling system as used at the Great British Beer Festival was again used to maintain the condition of the beers and ensure that festivalgoers found them truly refreshing. The entire building, including its paved approach is non-smoking. Under 18s could not be admitted to our festival, except on the Saturday when a separate family room was available on the upper floor from 12.30 until 6pm. Festivalgoers who were fortunate enough to look young were asked to provide proof of age, otherwise we were not permitted to grant them admission. Our coolers inevitably gave off the heat that they extracted from the beers, but if you came in a warm coat, you didn't need to swelter. Coats could be left in the lockers in the changing rooms - if you came in a group the simplest solution was to bundle all your coats into one locker!

2008's Eighteenth Festival ran from Thursday 6th to Saturday 8th November. Session times were Thurs 18.00-23.00 with early admittance for CAMRA Members only from 17.00, Fri 11.00-23.00, Sat 11.00-23.00. 

The admission charge which took account of the inclusive souvenir tankard was £4.00. Beer was only dispensed into official CAMRA festival glasses. The entry concession given to card-carrying CAMRA Members wass free admission, but Members did need either to purchase a 2008 souvenir tankard for £2 or have loan of an old festival glass against £1 deposit which could be refunded on leaving.

Why not ask about our Corporate Hospitality Package: special entry tickets for you and your guests, with your company design plus a new festival tankard and special beer tickets and food voucher? For breweries and distributors, a number of the beer tickets can specify the products for which they are valid. 

Why not join CAMRA and you are a good way towards concessionary or free admission to scores of CAMRA beer festivals up and down the country?

Beer was purchased with ½ pint beer tickets with a value of £1.10 (2008 price), although stronger beers incurred a cash supplement.

If you'd like to work at the Festival in 2009 (sorry, CAMRA Members only) the 2008 form and safety regulations are available on this link, obviously just for information at this stage.

Note that glasses in use for drinking could not be taken outside - plastic carrier bags were offered so that you didn't infringe the by-law on your way home. Our stewards, who were there to help you, were wearing distinctive yellow dayglo apparel.

We also have a trail of proper cask ale pubs around the city, for those of you spending more time in Wakefield.

Ticket outlets for 2008 have been Red Shed Wakefield 01924-215626, Tourist Information, Bull Ring, Wakefield 0845-6018353,  Harry's Bar Wakefield 01924-373773, Boons Horbury 01924-277267, Shoulder of Mutton Methley Rd, Castleford 01977-736039, Brewers Pride Healey, Ossett  01924 273865, Robin Hood Pontefract 01977-702231, The Grove Leeds 0113-2439254, Fat Cat Sheffield 0114-2494801. In the week before the festival ticket sales were centralised at Tourist Information where tickets may have been available available until the Saturday lunchtime. For tickets by phone you would have contacted Mark Goodair, 7 Rayner Street, Horbury, WF4 5BD ' 01924 278043, (mobile 07722 147234).

Please note that tickets are no longer available from the Town Hall, and that the Light Waves booking kiosk does not sell advance tickets.

***CAMRA publications and products were on sale at the event.

On this link is the 2008 version of Drinking in Wakefield for the Over-18s , essential if you are thinking of trying a few city pubs on your trip. 

As well as beers from all our local active breweries  there were beers from breweries with which the branch has connections or has visited in the past year, plus themed selections of beers from the South-West  and seasonal bonfire beers. The 2008 beer lists give an indication of the beers were on sale, subject (a) to their being received on delivery day (b) to their being in a satisfactory condition and (c) to their not being sold out. We tried to indicate unavailable beers and expected/ unexpected substitutions made by suppliers even up to the eve of the festival, so the later you'd made your final check, the better!

With a living product there will always be the odd cask that misbehaves - some may have taken a while to settle but then be allowed on sale by late Friday or Saturday. In 2008, as well as three long bars stacked up with traditional British Cask Ale arranged by brewery as near alphabetically as we can manage, you can have English, Belgian and other World Beers in bottle, on the Bottled Beer Bar. Many bottled beers will be bottle-conditioned. Read about Real Ale in a Bottle.

October will have been Cider and Perry Month, so from traditional  cidermakers, usually farm-based, we brought you cider and perry  that were in no way like the fizzy pop that's all we can generally pick up in urban areas. We had a selection of different deceptively drinkable Country Wines  which were served in disposable stemmed wine glasses. (click for  list)

A range of cold food was available at all sessions, sandwiches with complimentary pickles, pickled onions, pickled eggs, crisps and real West Midland pork scratchings, and "Olives and Things" (plus organic nuts) from stalls in the main hall.

Festivalgoers' Choice, ? 

decided by ballot slips handed in by people attending the festival. Please take part in this process again in 2009, and include your bottled beer, cider and perry choices, too.

THE WAKEFIELD 2008 TOP "TEN"

1. Great Heck DAVE
2. Fernandes Firecracker
3. East Coast Moodies Mild
4. East Coast Low Tide
5. Ossett Hercules
6. Fernandes Great Northern
7. jointly Brown Cow After Dark Coffee Porter and Five Towns Outwood Bound