Hello everyone!
We’re excited that Leeds International Beer Festival will return for its 9th edition on 2 – 5 September 2021. Because our concern for the safety of everyone who attends the festival is paramount, we needed to make sure we could ensure this before going ahead.
We know this will be very good news to many of you who enjoy coming to the festival, but we also realise some of you may have concerns and worries. So, we’d like to reassure everyone and tell you all what we’re planning to do.
The first thing to say is that the festival will be different to previous events: capacity will be reduced, and we won’t be using spaces such as The Crypt and Victorian Cells; tokens will be replaced by a contactless payment system (do keep your tokens for 2022) ; everyone will get a festival glass when they arrive but all drinks will be dispensed into fully recyclable, dispensable cups – you then have the choice of decanting from the cup into your glass. We’re also planning to erect more teepees in front of the Town Hall so even if it rains you can remain outside and under cover.
Entry to LIBF will be conditional on the following:
The easiest way to prove your COVID status is via the NHS COVID PASS (accessed through the NHS App, the NHS website, or as a letter that can be requested by ringing 119) which will show your COVID-19 vaccination details or Lateral Flow Test results. You must be registered with a GP surgery in England to use the NHS App (not to be confused with the NHS Test & Trace App). For further details including information for persons visiting from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland or anyone outside of the UK please visit www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-covid-pass
For NHS Lateral Flow Tests, please note this must be taken and the result registered before arrival at the venue as we will NOT be testing at the main gate. If you do not have access to the NHS App customers will also be allowed to show a text or email confirmation of test results.
There will be NO EXCEPTIONS to these rules. Festival security will ask ticket holders to leave if they do not comply with our safety measures. We want everyone to feel as safe as possible and we will not tolerate anyone risking this for others.
Festival staff, volunteers and guest brewers will undertake a daily lateral flow test to further reduce risk.
Additional cleaning will take place during each session. There will also be plenty of bins on site. Please help us to keep staff and volunteers safer by disposing of your own rubbish.
Although mask wearing isn’t compulsory, we do encourage you to wear a mask wherever possible, especially when queuing for entry and at bars and food stalls.
There will be plenty of space across the festival site so please try and maintain social distancing wherever possible.
‘Pass outs’ will not be available this year. If you choose to leave before your session ends you will not be re-admitted.
Queues can get very long prior to some of our busier sessions. If you can arrive 15/20mins after the session commences, we anticipate that queues will be shorter and entry to the festival will be quicker. Please arrive together in your pre-booked groups.
We have a zero-tolerance policy toward any form of discrimination or harassment. Any complaints will be taken seriously and dealt with promptly. The festival has always been inclusive and accessible for all. Please treat everyone with respect.
Additional tickets for all sessions have JUST been released. We expect sessions to sell out quickly and on-the-door tickets will be very limited so make sure you purchase your tickets in advance, so you don’t miss out.
Finally, we want to say a huge thank you for being so patient and understanding. The last 18months haven’t been easy for anyone but despite all the difficulties we want you to come along and have a brilliant time at the festival. The focus, this year, will be on UK breweries and some of the best beer being brewed on these shores. We’ll be announcing the full brewery line up along with details of our street food market and music, in a matter of days.
Keep a look out for more announcements here and via our social media.
See you all in three weeks – it’s great to be back!