Manchester Pubs and Breweries Team Up To Launch Virtual Beer Festival
Following the postponement of the annual Manchester Beer & Cider Festival, organisers have partnered with local pubs to host the Manchester Pubs Matter Festival.
The festival, which runs from the 17th to the 20th February, sees a number of pubs open their virtual doors and welcome back locals.
With many establishments forced to close during the lockdown period, organisers hope the event will not only bring regulars back together, but provide some much needed income for those unable operate.
David Rigby, press officer for the Manchester Beer & Cider Festival, said: “Some breweries have managed okay during the pandemic, they were agile enough to quickly move to online deliveries.
“But, what we could see, was that virtually no pub was making any money because they hadn’t been allowed to open.
“There have been separate restrictions placed on pubs in Greater Manchester which have affected [them] far more than, for example, a London pub.
“We approached a number of pubs that we felt represented a good cross-section across Greater Manchester to see if we could do something with them to promote their beer, but to also remind people of what pubs are about.
“But it’s also about trying to make some money for these people, we know all the proprietors, we know the landlords, and we know what a tough time they’ve had this year.”
It comes as The British Beer & Pub Association reported a 56% decrease in the sales of Beer within the UK for the 2020 period.
Figures showcased the financial impact this decline had had on the industry, amounting to a loss of £7.8 billion.
This blow comes following a steady decline in the number of pubs, with an Office of National Statistics report revealing a 25.47% decrease in the number of UK pubs and bars between 2001 and 2019.
Alan Gent, owner and director of The Petersgate Tap in Stockport, added: “It’s been an income boost for us, but we’re hoping the longer term benefit will be exposure to new trade.
“The regulars have done us proud, we sold 10 boxes without any marketing whatsoever, we’re now sold out at 96 boxes!”
For one local pub and brewery, The Marble Arch located on Rochdale Road, the event was a welcome boost to their income.
Mars Pascale, of Marble Beers said: “It definitely helped in terms of brewery sales, these days we have much less trade than we used to pre-lockdown, so we rely a lot on direct sales.
“Every little thing helps, and the festival box turned out to be very popular.
“We had over 100 orders, and we definitely saw lots of friendly faces and names. The Arch has a backbone of old time regulars and friends, so it will be nice to “see” them again on Wednesday.”
With many of the nights already sold out, organisers haven’t ruled out adding further dates.
Mr Rigby said: “We can see that we’ve clearly tapped the market, and we are looking at replicating it and approaching other pubs in Greater Manchester.”
