Graduate College is to herald the arrival of the summer months with a four-day festival during Week 9 of the Summer term.
The College’s bar, The Herdwick, will host the annual Real Ale and Cider Festival – now in its twelfth year – from Thursday 20 to Sunday 23 June. All are welcome to attend; traditionally the event has attracted a healthy mixture of undergraduate and postgraduate students, staff members, and real ale aficionados from the wider public.
The schedule for each day is as follows: 6.00 pm to midnight on Thursday 20 June, 1.00 pm to midnight on Friday, 5.00 pm to midnight on Saturday and 5.00 pm to 11.00 pm on Sunday 23 June.
With entertainment including live bands in performance from 9.00 pm and a barbeque each evening also on the cards, this Lancaster University tradition is promising to be a worthy close to this academic year. Favourites on the music line-up include Blues/Rock covers band Tin Pan Alley on Thursday, ten-piece Reggae/Ska band Reggiemental on Friday, and Surf-rock band Rockitt 88 on Saturday. Performances in the outdoor marquee will be subject to favourable weather conditions. There will also be a quiz on the Friday afternoon at 4.00 pm, at which participants can compete to win a top cash prize of “at least” £75.
Despite the potential for inclemency posed by the British weather, The Herdwick will be the place to be for those wanting to celebrate the summer (and all its meteorological volatility) with one of the many ales and ciders on offer from the extensive array of both local and national breweries. On offer will be a generous selection boasting 35 ales and 15 ciders from all over the UK.
Graduate College’s bar is deservedly famed across campus and beyond for its fine array of real ales and the knowledge of its staff about all things beer-related. Bar Manager Gareth Ellis has been at the Herwick helm for the past 12 years, and has maintained the bar’s place in the CAMRA [Campaign for Real Ale] Good Beer Guide since 2003 with his ever-changing selection of quality traditional real ales. Looking forward to this year’s offerings, Ellis described the festival as “the biggest Grad Bar event of the year”.
Further details, along with itineraries for each day, may be found on the event’s Facebook page.
