A move from William Street to the Esplanade was welcomed by Esk BeerFest’s 8000 patrons with event organisers reporting positive feedback for the event’s relocation.
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Previous events have been held outside the Boag’s factory but event director James Harding said the move provided patrons with different areas to relax and enjoy the beverages on offer.
“People really enjoyed being able to sit on the grassy hill area, so what we’ll do next year is not put stalls in front of that so that people can just completely use that area to sit down,” he said.
The site of the 2017 Esk BeerFest returned to normal after more than 8000 revellers helped make the event the biggest festival to date.
Mr Harding said the festival was a success, receiving 99 per cent of positive feedback, but acknowledged the issues with the toilets.
“What we found when we put a toilet monitor on was that there were six toilets that had been locked. Once we put the toilet monitor on we were able to sort out that and then there was no issues with toilets,” he said.
The event did have the recommended number of toilets from the council, organisers said.
“There are a few things we will take away from the layout, just add a few more toilets over the other side and we can probably look to lengthen it a little bit because the site was at full capacity on Saturday night,” Mr Harding said.
“The stage being on the corner location meant both sides were equally busy, whereas in previous years, it was always one side of the site was busy and the other wasn’t.”
Mr Harding said the headline acts, along with the comedy marquee and the masterclasses all contributed to the events success.
“The masterclasses were the most successful event. We had a packed tent in the masterclass for each session and the comedy grew even bigger,” he said.
“All the artists that played were rapt with the support and the excitement of the crowds. I think because we had Potbelleez and Bombs Away, we definitely saw a slightly younger demographic on the Saturday evening. But year on year we see a slightly younger demographic getting into craft beer.”
Many stallholders left the site with empty kegs, which Mr Harding said was a pleasing result.
St Johns Ambulance reported no injuries and police and security reported one incident.
“One person was asked to leave because he was carrying on with his mates. They decided they didn’t want to leave so security helped the police to escort them out. The police attended througout the duration of the festival and that was the only incident.”
Plans for the 2018 event are already underway.
“We have already started our debrief and are looking to slightly expand the site because we still need more space and we’re looking at what entertainment we can book for next year,” Mr Harding said.
BeerFest Photos:
Journalist at The Examiner Newspaper
Journalist at The Examiner Newspaper
