We Are Lager takes over Upper Campfield from 4th-7th April (and yes they've sorted a licence)
There was a right old social media rumpus earlier this month when the inaugural Friends & Family Beer Festival looked to be cancelled following a cock-up over licensing at the venue, Upper Campfield Market. Thankfully (not least for the hundreds who'd paid £60 for a ticket) the event went ahead after the council agreed, in the eleventh hour, to turn a 'blind eye' on the condition that nobody got pissed and punched anyone.
Now, Confidential has been told that there'll be no such last-minute Larry behaviour at Upper Campfield's next big beer do, the We Are Lager festival, with organisers confident that all necessary permissions have been boxed off well in advance for their event.
And what an event it's shaping up to be...
The line-up includes over 50 different lagers, 22 international breweries, 15 DJs and a bunch of the region's best street food traders over four days - from Thursday 4th to Sunday 7th April.
With tickets priced from just £8, breweries confirmed for the nation's biggest ever lager festival so far include UK-based Pillars Brewery, Mondo Brewing Company and Moor Beer, Sweden's Omnipollo, Germany's Mahrs Bra, Finland's Pyynikin Craft Brewery, Canada's Collective Arts Brewing, and Hawaii's Kona Brewing Co..
Joining the stellar international beer line-up will be the city's own Manchester Union Brewery - Manchester’s first and only dedicated craft lager brewery, launched earlier this year. Over the weekend MUB will be showing off their own lager along with an exclusive dark lager brewed especially for the festival.
Providing the ballast over the course of the weekend will be Confidential favourites Dim Sum Su (a British Street Food Award winner) and El Taquero - our go-to Mexican restaurant. Also on the food bill is Urmston burger slingers Get Chucked, Yorkshire's Mac Shac and Off The Wheaten Track - who are on desserts.
Don't like beer? (Then what are you doing?) There'll also be a gin bar, plus wine, bubbles, soft drinks and probably somewhere for a cuppa.
The musical programme - put together by Manchester's longest-enduring club night, Funkademia - includes a DJ set by the Mercury Prize nominated Everything Everything, Luke Unabomber, A Certain Ratio Soundsystem, Funkademia V Girls on Film, Take Me To Church & Hattie Pearson.
Fancy it but struggling to shake the kids? Nay bother. Sunday is family day at WAL, with a more kicked-back atmosphere and child-friendly stuff.
Jamie Scahill, co-founder of Manchester Union Brewery and We Are Lager, said: "We are really excited by the huge list of breweries joining us in a couple of weeks, it is set to be a great event with lager from all over the world. It is really important to us that the event is fun and inclusive, so food, music and a great variety of other drinks are as important to us as the lager."
"Lager has had a bad reputation over the past 30 years and We Are Lager is aiming to change this by showcasing the best lager the world has to offer as our ethos is Drink Better Lager."
Tickets are available from Skiddle and start at £8, including a limited-edition glass, beer menu and entry to the session.
Main image credit: @martin_walls_photography
