The Real Ale and Cider Society is back with their much-loved Cardiff Beer and Cider Festival, restocked and ready to make 2026 their best year yet. Every year the society hosts their festival in collaboration with MIND, and having raised £35,000 last year, are hoping to raise this threshold and the roof of the SU, in support of bettering mental health across Wales and the UK. The 2026 festival will take place on the 20th–21st of February across Y Plas, the Lodge, and Cwtch, which will play host to an estimate of 35 different ales, 40 different ciders, honey mead, a spirit bar, and a new selection of non-alcoholic beers too.
Every year, the Real Ale and Cider Society work tirelessly to expand the event, and so the lineup for 2026 will include keg beer, a spirit and cocktail bar, and live entertainment from student-run societies, including the Live Music Society. And specially, this year the festival will also be showing Six Nations games on the Saturday, so you don’t have to miss out on either of these important Welsh events—rugby and drinking. But the excitement doesn’t end there, as the sponsors of the event include a star-studded squad of Tiny Rebel, PULP Cider, Grey Trees and the well-loved Cathays Beer House (which should ring a bell even if you’re just dipping your toes into the world of real ale and cider).
20th–21st of February across Y Plas, the Lodge, and Cwtch
Having won the SVMAs’ Big Event of the Year prize, and inviting over 750 students alongside local brewdogs, the atmosphere of this event promises to deliver as much as the guest lineup; including beer and cider from breweries like Llanbethian Orchards, Brains, Bluestone Brewing, and more. The society is also thrilled to share that there will be limited edition drinks available too, so scouting out to secure a one-of-a-kind experience for your tastebuds at this festival is a must. For an entirely student-run event, the Beer Festival is looking to be a highlight of February for Cardiff.
Tickets can be purchased through the Cardiff Students’ Union Website, and range from weekend tickets for £15 or day tickets for £9, available for either Friday or Saturday. So clear your calendars, as the Real Ale and Cider Society have promised what may be the student run event of the year, but you’ll just have to head on down and find out for yourself whether that’s true.