Thousands flock to OctoberFest (From Basingstoke Gazette)
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Beer we go!
6:50pm Sunday 21st October 2012 in News By Chris Gregory
Thousands flock to OctoberFest
A PINT of real ale was definitely the order of the day at the fourth annual Hampshire OctoberFest.
Records crowds came to Basingstoke’s Milestones Museum for the three-day event to try some of the 92 beers on offer.
The event kicked off with the Friday Works Night Out event, which saw more than 1,000 people from firms in and around Basingstoke cram into the main tent to enjoy the beer.
Thousands more people came along on Saturday and Sunday when children could enjoy fairground rides, try their hand at circus skills and watch some ferret racing. Visitors were also able to visit the museum.
Andwell Brewing Company, Worting-based Longdog Brewery and Sherfield-on-Loddon’s Sherfield Village Brewery were all represented among the 220 barrels of beer on site.
Paul Belsey, 60, of Mulfords Hill, Tadley, came dressed in lederhosen along with his 57-year-old brother Nick.
He said: “We go to the Munich Beer Festival every year and that’s where we got the lederhosen.
“I think the OctoberFest is an excellent event. It’s such a good site. It’s friendly and comfortable and there’s a good range of beers.”
Louise Henderson, 29, of Rooksdown, Basingstoke, came on Saturday with her five-year-old daughter Bracken.
She said: “I bring her here every year because of the activities. It’s good. It’s not just about alcohol – it’s more of a family day out and she loves it.”
Ian Smith, director of development at Hampshire Museums and Galleries Trust, said the event was so popular that a 30-minute queue formed to get in on Saturday evening.
He said: “We managed to get everyone in. It’s been a phenomenal success from every point of view, and on Friday night numbers were up from 650 last year to 1,100 people."
