Festival Feeling: can we bring it to pubs?

During summertime, there’s no escaping festivals: the scene has quickly exploded and now there are festivals every weekend of the summer, from Download for the hard rock fans to The Big Chill for lovers of chill-out. Of course, there are festivals for the beer enthusiast as well as the music lover – and savvy pubs (from Wetherspoons to the local) are taking beer festivals in house. These events are of particular interest to us at BitterSweet Partnership – as we focus on developing a better relationship between beer and women, we think that they could be an as-yet untapped opportunity for igniting a passion for beer in women. After all, festivals are one of the key places where women choose to drink beer – nearly a third of them, according to our research this year. So, what can pub festivals take from music festivals in order to widen their female audiences?

• Add music and other entertainment – obvious I know, but nearly a third of women told us that entertainment is one of the reasons they choose to visit the pub. However, choose carefully, as bad music could be a real turn-off

• Provide more information – while a wide range of ales is great, it’s hard to know what to pick if you don’t know what kind of ales you like. Have a menu available and describe what it’s like and what the different styles mean. Identify what the most popular are, or what your personal favourite is

• Don’t forget food! The price of food at music festivals just goes to show how much the convenience is valued by those attending the event. A carefully chosen menu with beer pairings will provide something special to the festival