N-Fest 2025: Thousands turn out to enjoy the fun at Newbury’s real ale festival

Thousands of people gathered to enjoy locally produced drinks and live music at N Fest – Newbury’s beer and cider festival.

After two decades as the Newbury Real Ale Festival, the event, with its new name, was as popular as ever, with an estimated 5,000 people, including 1,000 children who attended free of charge, coming through the gates at Northcroft on Saturday (September 13).

They enjoyed a choice of more than 200 varieties of drink and a huge range of bands.

The event was organised, as always, by Newbury and Thatcham Hockey Club.

Vinny Butler, from the club, said: “It was a magical day, fantastic.

“Between the beers and the ciders and the gins, and pretty much everything came from within 30 miles of Newbury. So we really tried to do it as local as you could possibly get.

“We worked with Renegade, Hawkridge Gin, Tutts Clump - all the local producers, and the Delphic Brewing Company of Newbury did a unique beer for us, a craft brew called ‘Around The Clock Tower’.”

Around 100 musicians provided “a kaleidoscope” of live music - from acoustic to jazz, funk, reggae, hard rock to pop and disco.

The event was staffed by more than 250 volunteers from the hockey club to create what Mr Butler described as “the biggest beer garden in Newbury”, and he said the community was very much in the forefront of the organisers’ minds.

Newbury MP Lee Dillon came along and spent time with representatives of Sport In Mind, who, along with St Michael’s Hospice of Basingstoke, were the main beneficiaries of the event. Money raised is still being counted and the final total will be announced shortly.

Mr Butler said he would like to thank everyone who attended, the sponsors, the musicians taking part, and the volunteers who helped run it.

He added: “It's amazing when the community comes together what you can produce. It really is.”