Chorley Pub Festival

St George’s Day is 21st April – a time when we should celebrate things that are quintessentially English. Now personally, I don’t think you can get more English than the humble pub – and it’s fair to say that for a town of its size, Chorley has a better selection of pubs and a wider range of beers than most places. So, this April, we are delighted to announce the first ever Chorley Pub Festival.

Rather than having a beer festival with loads of beers crammed into one location, we have loads of beer spread across 14 pubs in the town centre. We have traditional pubs, micropubs, cafe bars, brewery taps and craft ale bars – in short, whatever your preference, there is something for everyone. Most of these are Independent businesses, with the majority having been opened in the last few years, showing what a vibrant beer drinking town Chorley has become. Spread over 4 days (Thursday 21st – Sunday 24th April) there will be over 70 real ales on offer, including a number of beers and breweries not usually found in the town. There will also be a selection of craft ales, continental lagers and all the other usual pub drinks on offer.

Under normal circumstances, these pubs showcase a great selection of real ale, but for the event some of them will be putting on extra pumps, opening longer hours and adding food and entertainment to their offering. Some of these venues have been around for many years, while others are relatively new (one of them isn’t even open yet). All of them are within a 10 minute walk from the bus and train stations, with many of them clustered around the market area, so getting between the venues once you get here will be easy.

Our plans are still at an early stage with a lot of the details still to be finalised. The Festival has its own website, www.chorleypubfestival.co.uk which will be live soon and will be updated with the Festival programme, beer listing and all the other info you need as and when details are confirmed.

So, put the date in your diary, tell your friends and join us in Chorley at the end of April for what promises to be a great 4 days. Hopefully the event will be a success and we can look forward to doing one every Spring. ADRIAN SMITH

The 14 venues participating in the event are:

Ale Station Artisan Ale House Ben’s Brewery Tap Bob Inn Bootleggers Clarke’s Síbín Flat Iron Malt n Hops Nelipots Rose & Crown Shed & Garden Shepherds’ Hall Ale House Riley’s White Bull