The Tameside Beer Festival returns in September

Beer lovers are being invited to raise a glass for charity when the Tameside Beer Festival returns to Stalybridge next month.

The popular two-day event, organised by Tameside Rotary, will take place on Friday, September 18th and Saturday, September 19th, 2026, with the festival once again based at Stalybridge Civic Hall, on Trinity Street in Stalybridge.

Doors open at 12 noon on both days, with the festival running until 11pm at night. Last entry is at 10pm, with last orders at 10.30pm. Entry to the event costs £5 on the door. Attendees will then need to purchase drinks tokens to use at the bar. An entry package costing £17 buys you entry to the event, a programme listing the beers available to buy and entertainment schedule, plus £12.50 worth of tokens to use.

More than 30 beers, lagers, ciders, and wines will be available. Hot food and snacks will also be available throughout the event.

Two days of live entertainment

There is a packed programme of music and entertainment to keep drinkers entertained across the weekend.

Friday's line-up begins with the Mossley Ukulele Group at 1.15pm, followed by Tameside Community Voices at 3pm. Singer and acoustic guitarist Jack Doyle takes to the stage at 5.30pm, before Stan & Ollie, a Laurel and Hardy tribute act, perform at 7pm. The evening concludes with Pattison Fogg at 8.30pm.

Saturday gets under way with St John's Brass Band at 2.30pm, followed by David Cane & Friends at 4pm. Soprano Elizabeth Phillips performs at 5pm, with singer Roger De Genero at 6.30pm. The festival then comes to a close with Company of Strangers at 8.30pm.

The programme brings together local musical talent with more unusual entertainment, with organisers promising a weekend combining drinks, food, live music, and fundraising.

Raising money for local dementia causes

While beer is at the heart of the event, the festival's purpose is firmly charitable.

This year's fundraising will primarily support four local dementia charities and services: St George's Dementia Café in Stalybridge, Forget Me Not Buddies in Denton, Music in Mind (Tameside), and the dementia care support service at Willow Wood.

The festival is organised and run by volunteers from Tameside Rotary, with the organisers stressing the importance of the support provided by local businesses, sponsors, advertisers, and volunteers.

Tameside Rotary president Amanda Reed-Raja said the event was returning to Stalybridge after the success of last year's festival and described the Civic Hall as feeling like "home" to the organisers.

A festival with a proven track record

The 2026 event is the 14th Tameside Beer Festival, making it an established fixture in the borough's social calendar.

Last year's festival attracted around hundreds of visitors over two days and raised an estimated £9,000 for charity, with proceeds shared between Willow Wood Hospice and The Christie. Festival-goers consumed thousands of draught beers, ciders, lagers, and wines, while multiple performers from local groups and the wider area appeared during the weekend.

With its combination of local entertainment, more than 30 drinks to choose from, food, and a charitable cause, organisers are hoping the 14th Tameside Beer Festival will once again prove that fundraising can be a sociable affair.

The 2026 Tameside Beer Festival is being held on Friday, September 18th and Saturday, September 19th, from noon to 11pm, at Stalybridge Civic Hall, Trinity Street, Stalybridge, SK15 2BN. Entry costs £5 on the door, with drinks tokens available to purchase. Last orders on both days are at 10.30pm.

For further information, visit The Tameside Beer Festival website.