INTRODUCTION

The 28th CAMRA South Downs Beer & Cider Festival will be held at the Corn Exchange on the 12th & 13th of June, details of Sessions will be published here when confirmed..

We expect that there will be circa 70 cask beers together with a selection of real ciders, perries and speciality ciders (cider with additional fruit!).
and, In addition, there should be a selection of membrane keg live beers from local breweries.

If you are new to CAMRA, we are not just about promoting real ale and cider but campaigning for consumer rights; be this keeping pubs open as these are the best place to drink real ale and cider; but also on taxation, which affects the price of your drink.

TICKET DETAILS

See poster below for Sessions and Ticket Prices.
On-line tickets are now available
Printed tickets will be available from mid-May at Harvey's Shop, the Brewers Arms, the Gardener's Arms in Lewes and the Evening Star in Brighton

SALES OF ONLINE TICKETS

Tickets may be purchased here - https://tckty.camra.org.uk/e/540/28th-south-downs-beer-cider-festival-2026#ticket-tab-2026-06-12 or by using this QR Code

Dependent upon Venue capacity, a limited number of Tickets may be available for purchase on the door.

BEER LIST & TASTING NOTES

The Beer list and Tasting Notes will be published here when available

CIDER LIST & TASTING NOTES

The Cider list and Tasting Notes will be published here when available

HOMEBREW COMPETITION

Details of the Competition will be published here when confirmed

CAMRA MEMBERSHIP STAND

The staff will be happy to explain the many benefits of CAMRA membership; and will be even happier to sign you up!

If you are already a member and have purchased a ticket for a particular Session, this is where you can pick up your tokens for that Session on production of a valid membership card.

CAMRA and other Merchandise may also be purchased here for cash/card only, Tokens will not be accepted.

CATERING

Details of Catering will be published here when confirmed

TOKENS

Beer, Cider and Perry can only be purchased using tokens; Tokens sheets can be purchased at the Tokens area.

Unused tokens can be refunded for cash up until “TIME” is called at the end of each Session.

PAYMENT

Payments for tokens may be made by cash or using Debit/Credit Cards, Visa or Mastercard only, either contactless or by chip and PIN, up to a limit of £50; payment for all other items is by cash.

FACILITIES

Disabled toilets; the toilets adjacent to the entrance hall are accessible.

PLEASE NOTE THAT NO-ONE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 WILL BE PERMITTED; THIS INCLUDES BABIES AND YOUNG CHILDREN.

DOGS WILL ONLY BE ALLOWED IF KEPT QUIET AND ON A LEAD AT ALL TIMES

FESTIVAL CHARITY

The Festival Charity will. be Canine Partners; across the UK, they support people with a variety of physical disabilities and their families, carefully matching them with a dog that suits their needs, personality and lifestyle.

The easiest way to give is to place any unused tokens in the collecting box near the exit; we will remit the value of these donations in full to the Charity, or you can choose the traditional way with donations in collection boxes

STAFFING

A message from Marilyn, the Staffing Manager

Without our brilliant volunteers, who turn up year after year, the beer festival wouldn't be possible.
Would you like to join us?
We provide a hot meal per shift, a volunteer t-shirt and a Staff glass, unless you wish to bring your own one.
You will also get the chance to work with some very committed people, have fun and sample the beers and ciders (in moderation of course!) and possibly learn some new skills.

Many of last year's volunteers have already signed up but we still have some places left.
You could choose to work behind the bar or take one of the front of house roles, such as scanning tickets or giving out tokens.
You might also be interested in setting up or taking down the bars and learning how we keep the beers and ciders at an optimum temperature.

You don't have to be a CAMRA member to volunteer but, of course, we would be very happy if you decided to join us.
Members have free entry to all CAMRA-run Festivals.
The link to join is here: camra.org.uk/membership

If you'd like to know more about volunteering, please contact me at moc.liamg@gniffatsfcbds

Or, if you are ready to volunteer, see below for the link to the application form.

We hope to see you in June.

Marilyn

The On-line Staffing form for Volunteers is available here - SDB&CF Staffing Form 2026

If you are unable to utilise the online Staffing Form, please download and print this form - SDB&CF Staffing Print Form 2026 , fill in your details and email the completed form to the address shown at the foot of the form.

Poster for 2026 SDB&CF