The Beer by the River festival is making a triumphant return to Ram Quarter at the heart of Wandsworth on Saturday 4 September 2021.
After a pause in 2020 due to the pandemic, the festival is the first major event to take place at Ram Quarter in more than 18 months and will be a chance for the community to get together and celebrate the area’s special brewing past, as well as spending a great day out with family and friends.
A lot has changed at Ram Quarter over the past year and a half, and the event will show the best that the development has to offer including the many new leisure and food and drink brands that have opened recently on site. There will be a range of activities for the whole family to enjoy with live music, face painting and, of course, great beer.
The festival will begin at 11am on Saturday 4 September with a fantastic selection of food and drink. Sambrook’s Brewery, London’s oldest independent brewer, and Schooner bar will be serving takeaway drinks including cider, cocktails, wine and soft drinks alongside beer. There will also be delicious menus from Machi BBQ, Crust Bros and Mai Thai.
Sambrook’s will be opening the doors for the first time to a new Heritage Centre celebrating Wandsworth’s past as the home of London brewing. The day promises a packed schedule of entertainment, including:
- live music from 12.30 – 18.00, with bean bags and deck chairs for people to enjoy the performances
- free ice-cream and face painting for children
- a chance to see the Young’s dray horses from 12.00 – 16.00 like the ones which used to deliver beer locally from the old brewery
- free tours of the new Ram Quarter Heritage Centre – opening for the first time, it tells the site’s story as Britain’s longest continually running brewery.
Sambrook’s will be running additional ticketed events including brewery tours for beer lovers on Friday 3 and Sunday 5 September. Tickets will include beer tokens and a unique commemoration glass marking the festival. More details and prices can be found at www.sambrooksbrewery.co.uk
The festival takes place on the bank of the River Wandle on the site of the former Young’s brewery which Greenland has transformed into a new retail and leisure destination. Ram Quarter holds the honour of being the site of Britain’s longest continuously-operating brewery, where beermaking dates back to at least 1533 when Henry VIII was on the throne.
Greenland’s redevelopment has restored some of the old brewery’s most distinctive features, including the beam engines and brewery coppers, and created space for restaurants and apartments in the listed brewery buildings. Reminders of Ram Quarter’s past are also celebrated in the design of the new buildings on site.
Duncan Sambrook, founder of Sambrook’s Brewery, said: “We can’t wait to get everyone back together for another fantastic festival. With live music, great beer and all the action taking place in the beautiful and historic setting of Ram Quarter, it’s set to be a really special day for the whole family to enjoy.”
Taotao Song, CEO of Greenland (UK), said: “We are excited to welcome people back to Ram Quarter for the 2021 festival, with a fun-packed day of activities. The event will also mark the launch of the new Heritage Centre on site – a really special milestone in Ram Quarter’s transformation and our work to protect and celebrate its unique brewing past.”
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About the Beer by the River festival
- The 2021 event follows a successful, inaugural festival at Ram Quarter in 2019 which more than 1,000 people attended.
- The main event will take place on Saturday 4 September from 11am to 8pm with additional events by Sambrook’s on Friday 3 and Sunday 5 September.
- Tickets are required for Sambrook’s events at £5 per adult on Friday and Sunday and £6 per adult on Saturday (aged 18 or over). Access to the wider Ram Quarter festival will be free.
- The nearest train station is Wandsworth Town (6 min walk).
- Access for people with a disability can be arranged by contacting Sambrook’s on 0207 228 0598 or by emailing admin@sambrooksbrewery.co.uk
Press release from Sambrooks Brewery
For further information about Greenland, please contact:
Steph Byrne / Thomas Parfitt
Camargue
T: +44 (0)20 7636 7366