The Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) which took place in Birmingham this year following a long-standing residency in London, will not take place in 2026.

In a statement released by Ash Corbett-Collins CAMRA chairman he said: “The National Executive has faced this head on, and we have taken decisive action. We will be making immediate changes to address the budget shortfalls we are facing, which are caused by a range of compounding issues.  

“Leading CAMRA is a privilege. I am responsible for safeguarding our future. This means that the Board and I must make difficult decisions, and sometimes deliver unwelcome news.  

“Sadly, this means I must tell you that The Great British Beer Festival and its Winter counterpart did not attract enough visitors to cover the cost of holding them, resulting in a substantial loss.

“Our membership figures – like many other organisations – are simply not growing. The hard truth is we are unlikely to return to pre-2020 levels.

“Our festivals are getting more expensive to hold, with fewer affordable venues. The cost of running a membership organisation and business is also increasing.”

In the simplest of terms, we did not get enough people through the doors to cover costs such as hiring the venue, accommodation for volunteers and buying beer, cider and perry. We are exploring why these events made a loss and identifying lessons learned. Other CAMRA festivals will continue to be assessed through our usual processes to minimise the risk of loss.   

As a result, he said, CAMRA will not be holding either of their Great British Beer Festivals in 2026.   

He added: “We are developing a new three-year strategy to get us back on course and we will review internal budgets.  We want to be the leading authority on campaigning for pubs, pints and people. But that comes with challenges.   

“Our activities will be leaner. We will be streamlined. We will be decisive on where we put our time and resources. We must sadly stop supporting the ‘nice to haves’ and instead focus on our key objectives.”

Image Credit: CAMRA