As the 16th Colchester Winter Ale Festival draws to a close, and our elephant has a well-deserved rest, a few massive “thanks”…

Thank you to all of you who came and made the festival a success – we welcomed visitors from all across Great Britain.

Thank you to all the volunteers – without donating your time, the festival would not be possible. Whether you helped with set-up, tear-down, behind a bar, at a wheel, at front-of-house or behind the scenes, thank you (fancy it? drop us an email).

Thank you to everyone who donated to Colchester Foodbank, you raised over £1000 and we’ll confirm the total and presentation as soon as we can.

Thank you to the brewers and producers whose beer & cider we poured. A special thank you to Mersea Island Brewery and Colchester Brewery who stepped in when our tear-down hire vans became unavailable at short notice.

Thank you to the Arts Centre staff for putting up with the sawdust invasion (especially Kathy).

Missed it? 38th Colchester Real Ale and Cider Festival starts on 28th May 2025!