Hastings Beer & Music Festival

5th-7th July, Alexandra Park

By Jenny Southan

Hop Back Summer Lightening, Hammerpot Meteor, Skinner's Betty Stogs and Young's Waggledance are just some of the thirty odd lagers and ales available at this year's beer and music festival in Alexandra Park...

As for the music, this year promises some great bands including Situation Vacant who are headlining on Saturday, rock covers band Slam on Friday, and The Boatmen on Thursday.

There will also be some excellent support bands such as the Peter Dinsley Swing Band, tribute acts the Rolling Clones and Fake That and the talented young Intraverse.

The gates open at 6pm for three glorious summer evenings of dancing, drinking and auditory enjoyment. Judging by the success of previous years, in which bands like Keane and Status Quo have played, the festival will attract a good crowd.

If you are over 18 and an evening or three of beer sampling and rocking tunes appeals, then tickets are available from Priory Meadow Information Centre or alternatively you can book them by phone.

Tickets cost £6 for Thursday and Friday and Saturday night are £12 each. An added bonus is that 100% of the profits made from the festival go to local charities – so you can rest assured that going to the event is all in a good cause.

If you can't afford to splash-out on a ticket or you have kids, then a nice option is to take a picnic down to the park and lounge on the grass, while listening to the music. Either way, the 25th Hastings Beer and Music festival will no doubt be one of the highlights of the summer. Just remember, if you are ambitiously hoping to try all the beers, you might want to keep Sunday free for recovering.