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Charter a private jet to the best beer festivals in the UK and Europe


Love beer? Europe has some of the world’s top beer festivals featuring brews from around the world, as well as food, music, and entertainment. From the famous Oktoberfest to Belgian, Austrian, and British classics, here are some of Europe’s top beer festivals and how to visit them by private jet charter.

Oktoberfest

People drinking in the Hippodrom Beer Tent on the Theresienwiese Oktoberfest fair grounds
People drinking in the Hippodrom Beer Tent on the Theresienwiese Oktoberfest fair grounds

The world’s most famous beer festival, Germany’s Oktoberfest, has been running since 1810 and began life as a wedding celebration for Crown Prince Ludwig and his bride. The street party was so popular it stuck around to become the largest beer festival in the world. Set in Munich at the end of September, the festival now hosts over six million people over 16 days and in 2018, 7.5 million litres of beer were consumed.

Festivities start with an opening ceremony in the Schottenhamel tent, where the Mayor of Munich taps the first keg. On the opening day, up to a thousand breweries and tent owners arrive in horse-drawn carriages. Throughout the festival there are also costume parades, family days, Bavarian concerts, carnival rides, and a spectacular closing ceremony.

Taste Munich-produced beers such as Hacker-Pschorr and Augustiner-Brau and dine on traditional food like bratwurst and potato pancakes. The main celebrations take place in the 14 popular tents, which include Ochsenbraterei, Schottenhamel, Weinzelt, and Paulaner Festzelt.

2019 Oktoberfest dates: September 21st - October 6th.

Location: Theresienwiese (Festwiese), Munich, Germany.

Price: Entry is free. Make table reservations at popular tents ahead of time, as most sell out quickly.

Nearest private jet airport:  Munich International Airport is 37 minutes away.

International Berlin Beer Festival

Berlin’s summer street beer festival has been running for over 20 years and showcases 350 breweries from almost 90 countries. This means you can taste up to 2,400 beers along the one-mile stretch of Karl-Marx-Allee where the festival is held every August, between Strausberger Platz and Frankfurter Tor underground stations. Over a million people are expected to attend the 23rd edition of the festival in 2019.

The Berlin Beer Festival (locally known as the Biermeile) is a two-day event and Germany’s second-favourite beer festival. Around 750,000 people come to peruse the different sections which are organised according to where the beers originate from. Sip a drink in the world’s longest beer garden and enjoy live music and entertainment on 18 stages, as well as delicious German food.

2019 International Berlin Beer Festival dates: 2nd - 4th August.

Location: Karl-Marx-Allee, Friedrichshain district, Berlin, Germany.

Price: Free.

Nearest private jet airport:  Berlin Tegel Airport and Berlin Schonefeld Airport lie just 30 minutes from the festival.

Czech Republic Pilsner Fest

The Czech Republic consumes the most litres of beer per capita annually. So, it’s no surprise that the country has its own beer festivals, the most popular of which is the Pilsner Fest. Set in the city of the same name, the festival celebrates the first brewing of Pilsner Urquell beer, which took place back on October 5th in 1842.

Tour the Pilsner Urquell brewery to learn about how this trend-setting blond beer is produced and taste it straight from the barrel. Festivities throughout the city include a carnival, live music, sports events, and tasting of other Czech beers, as well as the chance to try some traditional Czech food.

2019 Pilsner Fest Dates: 4th - 5th October.

Location: U Prazdroje, Pilsner, Czech Republic.

Price: Free but you must reserve a brewery tour in advance.

Nearest private jet airport:  Prague Václav Havel Airport is just under an hour from the festival.

Belgian Beer Weekend

Two hands holiding up two glassed of Belgian Beer at the Belgian Beer Weekend Festival
Two hands holiding up two glassed of Belgian Beer at the Belgian Beer Weekend Festival

Want to try more than 400 types of strong, Belgian Beer? Then don’t miss the Belgian Beer Weekend, held every September for over 15 years. The festival takes place in the heart of the capital in Brussels’s Grand Place, a beautiful UNESCO-listed square. Around 60,000 people attend to celebrate the national drink and enjoy parades, historic costumes, and taste beers from Belgian breweries of all sizes.

Organised by the National Federation of Belgian Beer, the weekend starts with speeches in Brussels’s town hall and continues with historical brewery carts and wagons descending on the square. Throughout the festival, beer ambassadors are often knighted by the Knighthood of the Brewers.

2019 Belgian Beer Weekend Dates: 6th - 8th September.

Location: Grand Place (Grote Markt), Brussels, Belgium.

Price: Free entrance.

Nearest private jet airport:  Brussels Airport is 25 minutes’ drive from the festival.

Altausseer Bierzelt in Austria

Looking for a low-key alternative to Oktoberfest? Then head to the quiet hamlet of Altausseer, which lies just over three hours from Vienna. This rustic gem is surrounded by pristine Austrian forest and lakes and makes a beautiful setting for a celebration. The beer festival is a three-day affair that has an authentic feel and sees far fewer crowds than many other European beer festivals.

Don your traditional Austrian dirndl for women or lederhosen for men and head to the traditional beer tent (Bierzelt), which is decked out with wooden tables and benches. Along with sampling local beers, you can enjoy traditional food like sausage and gingerbread. Organised by the local fire department, there’s also a tug-of-war, stalls, and fun fair.

2019 Altausseer Beer Festival Dates: June, exact date yet to be confirmed.

Location: Altausseer, Austria.

Price: Free.

Nearest private jet airport:  Salzburg Airport is under an hour and a half from Altausseer.

Karlovac Beer Festival in Croatia

Karlovac town centre
Karlovac town centre

Join Croatia’s largest beer event, held in the charming town of Karlovac, on the banks of the River Korana. Every August, the city in central Croatia attracts over 100,000 visitors for its 10-day beerfest at the Korana Sports Centre. The event was launched by Karlovac Brewery in 1984 to celebrate its long beer-making history.

There are over 50 beers to sample from different countries. You can also enjoy a traditional Croatian parade with hundreds of performers, cultural entertainment, and nightly concerts from local bands. Snack on Croatian foods like tasty Karlovac pretzels while you sip on tasty brews.

2019 Karlovac Beer Festival Dates: Late August, exact date yet to be confirmed.

Location: Korana Sports Centre, Karlovac, Croatia.

Price: Free.

Nearest private jet airport:  Zagreb Airport is just 45 minutes from the venue.

Stuttgart Beer Festival

Known locally as Cannstatter Volksfest, this mammoth beer celebration has been running for around 200 years and was founded in 1818 by King Wilhelm I of Wurttemberg. Set in Stuttgart, the German festival lasts 17 days and kicks off with an opening ceremony and keg tapping from the city’s Mayor. The Stuttgart Beer Festival hosts four million visitors who come to taste beer, soak up the atmosphere, and eat German food.

Highlights include a parade with horse-drawn historic wagons, one of Europe’s largest funfairs, a trader’s market, bands, and a closing ceremony with fireworks set to music. Reserve a spot in one of the beer tents to taste a wide range of beers and listen to oompah music. The most popular tents include Klauss & Klauss, Cannstatter Oberamt, and Furstenberg Festzelt.

2019 Stuttgart Beer Festival Dates: 27th - 13th October.

Location: Cannstatter Wasen, Stuttgart, Germany.

Price: Admission is free. You must reserve a spot in one of the tents in advance via their individual websites to guarantee entry.

Nearest private jet airport:  Stuttgart Airport is half an hour from the beer festival.

Paris Beer Week

A relative newcomer in Europe’s beer festival field, Paris Beer Week has been running since 2013. The event is organised by the Bières et Papilles association and dedicated entirely to the city’s craft beers and breweries. A week of over 150 events are held all over the city in pubs, bars, and breweries, with the closing event often held at the Bellevilloise.

Enjoy an amateur brewing contest, a collaborative beer commissioned especially for the event, and over 90 beers from dozens of French breweries. There’s also plenty of food, as well as live evening music and DJs until the early hours of the morning.

2019 Paris Beer Week Dates: 8th - 16th June.

Location: Various locations around Paris, the closing event is often at the Bellevilloise cultural centre.

Price: Entry is free.

Nearest private jet airport: Fly into Paris Le Bourget Airport or Paris Charles De Gaulle.

What’s Brewing in Norway

Norway’s top beer festival is held in the Tou Scene cultural arena in Stavanger, a historical building that was originally home to Tou Brewery. The two-day festival aims to deliver a world-class line up of craft breweries, representing everywhere from Norway to Japan, the USA, Germany, the UK, and Estonia. There are daily taste and talk sessions, a big food court with dishes from around the world, and live music.

2019 What’s Brewing Dates: 18th - 19th October.

Location: Tou Scene, Stavanger, Norway.

Price: Tickets go on sale 4th April.

Nearest private jet airport: The venue lies 20 mins from Stavanger Airport.

Mikkeller Copenhagen Beer Celebration (MBCC)

People grouped outside at the MBCC Festival - Photographed by Theis Mortensen
People grouped outside at the MBCC Festival - Photographed by Theis Mortensen

Organised by Mikkeller brewery as part of their annual Beer Week, the MBCC is a craft beer event not to be missed. Although the festival only started in 2012 with just 40 breweries, it’s now grown to fill the Øksnehallen event space and gained a great reputation with beer fans from all over the world.

The eighth edition of this three-day festival is set to feature over 800 types of beer and over 100 local and foreign breweries. Tickets are for morning or afternoon sessions and as well as tastings you can enjoy food trucks, merchandise, and music. Outside of the festival, don’t forget to check out Copenhagen’s many craft beer bars.

2019 Copenhagen Beer Celebration Dates: 10th - 12th May.

Location: Øksnehallen, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Price: Tickets are for specific time slots and available from the official site. Prices start at 515 DKK (around £59).

Nearest private jet airport: Øksnehallen lies just 20 mins from Copenhagen Airport.

Warsaw Beer Festival in Poland

Three Beers in customized Warsaw Beer Festival glasses - photographed by Teo Klinecewicz, festival web: http://warszawskifestiwalpiwa.pl/en/
Three Beers in customized Warsaw Beer Festival glasses - photographed by Teo Klinecewicz, festival web: http://warszawskifestiwalpiwa.pl/en/

Poland’s craft beer scene is booming and there’s no better way to experience it than to visit the Warsaw Beer Festival. Held at the VIP zone of Legia Warsaw Municipal Stadium, the festival focuses on Polish brewing. There are over 750 Polish beers on offer, plus a handful of international picks. As well as tasting sessions, there are Beer Guides on hand for seminars, as well as Polish food trucks, games machines, and even a table football tournament.

2019 Warsaw Beer Festival Dates: 4th - 6th April.

Location: Legia Warsaw Municipal Stadium, Warsaw, Poland.

Price: €3 - 6, available from the official website.

Nearest private jet airport:  Warsaw Chopin Airport is 20 minutes from the stadium.

London Craft Beer Festival

2019 sees the seventh year of the breakthrough London Craft Beer Festival. Held in the historic Tobacco Dock in Hackney, a former 19th-century warehouse, the three-day festival will feature 80 top craft breweries from the UK and around the world. Sample as many as 500 different beers on tap and meet passionate brewers for tastings.

The festival also hosts food from excellent London restaurants as well as street snacks and has evening entertainment such as DJ sets from international acts. In 2018, performers included Huey Morgan and Love Affair, so keep an eye out for the announcement of this year’s line-up.

London Craft Beer Festival Dates: 9th - 11th August.

Location: Tobacco Dock Hackney, London, UK.

Price: Tickets are sold for specific sessions and available from the official website. Prices range from £40 to £175 for the Beer Geek Weekender package. Tickets include all beers, a glass, festival magazine, and access to food and music.

Nearest private jet airport: The venue is just 15 minutes from London City Airport.

Great British Beer Festival

All of the Beers at the Great British Beer Festival - website: http://gbbf.org.uk/
All of the Beers at the Great British Beer Festival - website: http://gbbf.org.uk/

Dubbed the ‘biggest pub in the world’, the Great British Beer Festival is held in the historic, Victorian-era Olympia London, which dates back to 1886. The festival attracts around 60,000 people during its five-day run every August and is organised by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). The organisation judges its prestigious CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain at the festival each year.

In 2018, the festival showcased over 400 breweries and more than a thousand beers, ales, ciders, and perries from around the world. Visitors can learn about brewing in tasting sessions with experts, enjoy international street food, and play traditional pub games. There’s also a festival stage with live music in the evenings and book signings from top beer authors.

2019 Great British Beer Festival Dates: 6th - 10th August.

Location: Olympia, Hammersmith, London.

Price: Tickets range from £7 - £11 and can be bought at the official website. VIP tickets cost £39 and include entrance, VIP seating, a souvenir festival glass, and £15 of beer tokens.

Nearest private jet airport:  London Heathrow Airport is just under 30 minutes from Olympia London.

Once you’ve booked tickets to some of these best beer festivals in Europe, why not travel there in style? Contact us to arrange a private jet charter quote to the beer festival of your choice.

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