Newbury Real Ale Festival is under threat
An objection has been raised over its licence
A licence objection has been lodged against the event with claims that it encourages criminal behaviour and disorder.
A Crowdfunder page has been launched to help pay the legal bills to fight the objection.
Further grounds on which the council has been asked to review the licence are that the event constitutes a public nuisance because of excess and continuous noise levels throughout the day and late into the evening.
The objection also says the event is potentially harmful to children because of excessive alcohol intake around children in attendance, and abusive language being used within earshot of children resident in the area.
In addition, it says sleep of younger children is disrupted by the excess noise.
The festival, which takes place for one day in September, is billed as the biggest one-day beer festival in the South of England.
Now in its second decade, it is run as a community event, supporting local breweries and musicians, and raising money for local charities.
The 2021 festival has only just taken place in Newbury, having been cancelled last year because of Covid.
On its Facebook page, the festival says it hopes to expand the scale of the event next year.
The event is also organised with the help of Newbury and Thatcham Hockey Club.
This is the link to the Crowdfunder page.
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/newbury-real-ale-festival-licence-challange