GCT Beer Festival 2024
Friday 2 August, 4pm - 11pm.
Saturday 3 August, 12pm - 11pm.
Sunday 4 August, 11am - 4pm
Free entry.
Want to support us and the event and keep GCT Beer Festival free? If you can afford it you can donate on the day or right now by the button below.
Get ready to welcome back our ultimate summer celebration at GCT Beer Festival, running from August 2-4, with free entry for everyone! Enjoy three days of exceptional beers, fantastic live music, and delicious food from local vendors, all in a vibrant community atmosphere. Celebrate with us as we mark 50 years of Gosforth Civic Hall and support our work with people with learning disabilities.
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Welcome Back to GCT Beer Festival!
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Friday: Beer Beats and Bites
Our much-loved Beer Festival returns with a night of beer, beats, and bites. Dive into a vibrant atmosphere with 20 taps of keg beer and 10 taps of cask beer, all while enjoying the eclectic sounds from DJ Awkward Black Girl. Satisfy your taste buds with delicious offerings from Goodtimes Tacos and our very own GCT Cafe.
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Saturday: Family Fun and Live Music
Saturday is all about family-friendly fun! Join us for a day filled with creative crafts from Mini Crafters, mouth-watering pizza from Scream for Pizza, beautiful banh mi sandwiches and bowl from The Big Banh, and delectable dishes from GCT Kitchen. As the sun sets, our F54 stage lights up with live performances from talented local artists Bigfatbig, SwanNek, and Elizabeth Liddle. Entry is free, so bring the whole family!
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Sunday: Chill Out and Unwind
Wind down the festival on Sunday with a relaxed brunch from GCT Kitchen. Enjoy gaming consoles throughout the building and classic concert films on the big screens. It's the perfect way to end your weekend while savoring the last of our festival beers.
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Event Highlights
Free Entry
Everyone is welcome to join in the fun. But if you want to support us, you can do so across the weekend.
Drinks
Our festival bar will boast 20 taps of keg, 10 taps of cask beer from local and national breweries and will represent a range of styles for all tastes. Want sessionable pales? You got it! Belgian ales, saisons and sours? Yep. Something dark? Oh you bet! Classic bitters and IPAs? Don't worry about it. Plus the odd rarity and special in there.
Plus, for the first time we will have a dedicated spirits and wine bar on our Theatre bar, and a no and low alcohol bar on our Foyer Bar, so if beer isn't your thing you can still come down and have a great time.
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Pricing
Our Festival Bar is located in the theatre and will be token only. Tokens can be bought from our token desk when you enter the building via the main entrance. Each token is £1.50, a half of beer is between 2 and 3 tokens and a pint between 4 and 6 tokens. All beer prices are shown above the bar, have a beer list to hand if they want more info. Most of the beers and ciders on offer from this bar are £3 a half and £6 a pint with only 6 exceptions, 3 of which are available in halves only and 3 in pints only. Tokens are non-refundable.
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Our Wine and Sprits Bar, No and Low Alcohol Bar, Cafe food offer and outside street food are all cash and card only, these vendors will not accept tokens.
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You can buy a branded glass for the first time this year! Use it throughout the day and take it home with you, these are just £6.
Entertainment
Friday: DJ Awkward Black Girl spinning suburban soul and pop beats from 7pm 'til 11pm.
Saturday: Mini Crafters in the afternoon for families 12pm 'til 3pm, and live music in the evening on our F54 Live stage with Bigfatbig, 9.45pm, SwanNek 8.30pm and Elizabeth Liddle 7.30pm. *Bigfatbig replace the orginally billed Cortney Dixon.
Sunday: GCT Gaming consoles 12pm 'til 3pm, and chilled out vides in our Theatre with tunes and concert films on our big screen.
Food
Loaded fries and deli treats from GCT Cafe Friday night and Saturday lunchtime, tacos from Goodtimes Tacos on Friday night, pizza from Scream for Pizza and Vietnamese inspired sandwiches and bowls from The Big Bahn on Saturday and Jam Jar of Jesmond on Sunday.
Support and Celebrate with Us
This year, we're celebrating 50 years of Gosforth Civic Hall! Since its opening on March 26, 1974, it's been a vibrant community hub. By attending the GCT Beer Festival, you're supporting an independent, community-focused event. All proceeds from our bars and food go directly back into our work with people with learning disabilities, once festival costs are covered. If you love the festival and want to support us further, donations are welcome throughout the weekend.
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Join Us for a Memorable Weekend!
Be a part of this incredible celebration. Whether you're here for the beer, the music, the food, or just the community spirit, there's something for everyone at the GCT Beer Festival. Mark your calendars and get ready for a weekend to remember!
Highlights
Drinks
Our festival bar will boast 20 taps of keg, 10 taps of cask beer from local and national breweries and will represent a range of styles for all tastes. Want sessionable pales? You got it! Belgian ales, saisons and sours? Yep. Something dark? Oh you bet! Classic bitters and IPAs? Don't worry about it. Plus the odd rarity and special in there.
Plus, for the first time we will have a dedicated spirits and wine bar on our Theatre bar, and a no and low alcohol bar on our Foyer Bar, so if beer isn't your thing you can still come down and have a great time.
DJ Awkward Black Girl
With her family roots in Sound System Culture, she would describe herself as more of a "selector" than a DJ. Her sets comprise a fusion of often high-tempo noisy remixes of Soul, R&B, Pop, Disco, Hip Hop and more, transitioning into infectious rhythms and deep grooves of electro-music that resonate with a broad spectrum of music lovers, weaving together the rich tapestry of sounds that make up her life experiences. Her exploration of genres and boundless energy on the decks is an invitation to connect, celebrate, and let go on the dancefloor.
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For Awkward Black Girl, music is a universal language transcending boundaries. Her philosophy is to take her audience on a journey where the groove is the common thread, regardless of genre. She believes in the unifying power of music, and her sets are designed to create connections and shared experiences on the dance floor.
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When she's not in the booth, Awkward Black Girl is a vocal advocate for diversity and inclusivity within the music industry. She actively champions underrepresented voices and strives to create opportunities for many.
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On stage 7pm - 11pm.
Bigfatbig
For fans of: Kate Nash, The Front Bottoms, The Subways, Martha, Courtney Barnett, Lauran Hibberd, and Zuzu.
Bigfatbig erupted onto the North East music scene in late 2019, and have since gone on to prove that nothing - not even a global pandemic - will stand in their way. The girls’ highlights so far include performing a set for BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend earlier in the year, Radio 6 airplay, being selected as a BBC Introducing Tip for 2020 and landing places on BBC Sounds’ The Hot List, curated by Radio 1 DJ Jaguar. Aside from that, with 6 sellout shows under their belt in their short career, 2021 is looking to be a really exciting year for bigfatbig having already been booked for a multitude of national level festivals.
*Bigfatbig replace the originally billed Cortney Dixon at this year's festival.
On stage at 9.45pm.
SwanNek
Formed in 2020, SwanNek is a Newcastle Upon Tyne based jazz collective led by Findlay Hewitson (keys). In 2021, Hewitson began to explore collaborative efforts with longtime friends, Jake Baines (bass) and Mollie Birmingham (vocals). SwanNek continued to perform relentlessly in 2022, earning themselves a monthly residency at ‘Hoochie Coochie’ in Newcastle. 2023 saw new members Bailey Rudd (drums), Jacob Egglestone (guitar, trumpet), Ruby Oldknow (flute) and Olly Styles (tenor sax) join. Later that year, debut release ‘Lucid Dreams’ earned SwanNek track of the week on BBC Introducing as well as notable reviews nationally. The band continue to play and record into 2024 as their shows and local support continually grow.
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On stage at 8.30pm.
Elizabeth
Liddle
Drawing inspiration from 70’s classic singer-songwriters such as Carole King, Carly Simon, & Joni Mitchell, Elizabeth Liddle’s style is influenced heavily by the sound of the Laurel Canyon, with modern-yet-retro pop/soul influences creating her own unique sound.
Receiving regular radio airplay and praise from BBC Intro North East, Tees & Amazing Radio and supported by Youth Music, those waiting for new music from the artist will not be disappointed.
“There’s no doubt Elizabeth is a talented musician and singer. Musically she displays a Carole King-esque DNA which excites me…one to watch for sure” (Frankie Francis, Amazing Radio)
On stage at 7.30pm.
Mini Crafters
Mini Crafters is a children's craft group led by Lynn Wandsworth; they have previously run sessions at our Reopening weekend in 2023 and our Family New Year's Eve Party. They run multiple tables of crafts and colouring centred around a theme, and they always go down well!
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On stage at 12pm - 3pm Saturday.
Goodtimes Tacos
Goodtimes are a GCT favourite. They're been slinging their famous West-Coast inspired tacos at event here since 2018 and they always go down a storm. They have vegan options alongside their must-have pressed birria or baha tacos.
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Scream for Pizza
Scream for Pizza are influenced by the ancient traditions and techniques taught to its founder’s during their time in Naples, all while adding a playful twist to pizza making. We are passionate about delivering surprising topping combinations and always, always use locally sourced, seasonal ingredients and great quality Italian artisanal products as our inspiration.
Visiting us.
​Your journey and parking
Gosforth Civic Theatre is right next to (literally 2 minutes walk from) Regent Centre Metro Station and Bus Interchange, which means we're on a host of major transport links including Tyne & Wear Metro, Arriva, Stagecoach and Go North East bus services and via car from Great North Road. Please visit our YOUR VISIT section of our website to find directions and the best way to arrive at GCT.
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We have a small, free car park but this will be very busy and part reserved for artists and staff, so it's best to avoid planning on parking directly at the venue. Please keep this in mind if you're driving over; we detail alternative parking on our YOUR VISIT page so check it out!
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​Accessibility
We are a fully accessible venue; all entrances are wheelchair accessible and automatic, there is an accessible toilet on the premises and each area of the building is on one level. Please let us know if you have any questions about access and find out how we can assist by emailing info@gosforthcivictheatre.co.uk.
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