CAMRA reveals the ‘stark reality’ of its financial woes
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has cancelled its Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) events for 2026 as it faces the “stark reality” of its financial challenges.
CAMRA chairman Ash Corbett-Collins explained how “at Members’ Weekend earlier this year, the national executive presented finances that painted a stark picture. As your chairman I was open with you; we were facing significant challenges.”
Speaking to the drinks business, Corbett-Collins said: “Today’s announcement has been incredibly difficult to make. But as I stated, we needed to take decisive action now to safeguard our future.”
Corbett-Collins assured that although the organisation has “faced this head on” and “taken decisive action,” it will be “making immediate changes to address the budget shortfalls”. These, he revealed, were caused by “a range of compounding issues”.
Describing his responsibility in leading the association, Corbett-Collins told members he was “responsible for safeguarding our future” and hinted that “this means that the board and I must make difficult decisions”.
GBBF 2026 is cancelled
Corbett-Collins lamented: “Sadly, this means I must tell you that: The Great British Beer Festival and its Winter counterpart did not attract enough visitors to cover the cost of holding them, resulting in a substantial loss.”
Added to this, he revealed that CAMRA’s membership figures “are simply not growing” and confessed that “the hard truth is we are unlikely to return to pre-2020 levels”.
Offering more transparency, Corbett-Collins told members: “Our festivals are getting more expensive to hold, with fewer affordable venues” and noted how “the cost of running a membership organisation and business is also increasing”.
This means that “as a result, we will not be holding either of our Great British Beer Festivals in 2026”.
The decision stems from the fact that, primarily, CAMRA “did not get enough people through the doors to cover costs such as hiring the venue, accommodation for volunteers and buying beer, cider and perry,” said Corbett-Collins.
Addressing the issues head on, Corbett-Collins said that, in an effort to salvage the situation, the organisation is now “exploring why these events made a loss and identifying lessons learned”. But, he assured: “Other CAMRA festivals will continue to be assessed through our usual processes to minimise the risk of loss.”
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Members’ magazine 2025 print edition axed
In addition to the cuts being made to GBBF, the winter edition of CAMRA’s membership Beer Magazine will only be available digitally in 2025. This, he suggested would “save a significant amount of money in the short term”. Plus, over the summer, db reported on the fact that CAMRA had been “exploring a different model with a publisher” to help it continue to produce its books for beer fans by moving its publishing arm from being in-house to reduce costs.
Looking ahead, Corbett-Collins mentioned that CAMRA is now “developing a new three-year strategy to get us back on course and we will review internal budgets”.
He explained: “We want to be the leading authority on campaigning for pubs, pints and people. But that comes with challenges.”
Corbett-Collins revealed: “Our activities will be leaner. We will be streamlined. We will be decisive on where we put our time and resources. We must sadly stop supporting the ‘nice to haves’ and instead focus on our key objectives.”
What can be done by members?
Corbett-Collins told db: “Our members are incredibly dedicated and loyal. I am asking everyone to work with us and support us during this tough period. Our branches across the UK are being encouraged to look at the invaluable work they are carrying out and making sure it is as effective as possible, to achieve our aims.”
He advised: “One of the biggest ways people can help is to support their local CAMRA festivals, encourage others to attend events and be part of the campaign can both survive and thrive.”
Describing the plans to look forwards, Corbett-Collins also reiterated the need for CAMRA to “remember its roots” but “also evolve” if it is going to grow in its “collective strength and voice”.
He added: “I made it clear that we need to focus on the issues where our campaigning will have the most impact, recruit the most members and activate the most volunteers.”
CAMRA has noted that there will be a need the support of branches to make sure that money is being spent on the right activities at branch level, and in line with our aims and has produced a set of FAQs to answer questions any members may have that are concerning them.
Corbett-Collins concluded: “While I hoped I would never need to send this message, my number one priority is seeing our campaign survive and thrive. Our 50 plus year history must be protected and I am determined to see CAMRA continue for the next 50 years. Doing nothing is not an option. If we do not act now, the stark reality is we will not exist in the future.”
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Can’t say I’m surprised. The NEC was completely unsuitable to hold GBBF.
CAMRA now reaping the rewards of yet another beloved organisation spiralling down into the abyss of political correctness and woke ideology. After 30 years plus of continual membership you no longer aspire to my desire of quality real (not craft) ale and keeping pubs open ( Marston’s should have been boycotted years ago ). CAMRA is now a poor relation of what it used to be and what it stood for .RIP CAMRA
Sad, but who wants to travel for hour to attend a massive beer festival, where few could manage more than a few? Better just to find a decent local pub where they regularly rotate the ales.
As for taking the mag’ online, many organisations have done this of late due to the prohibitive cost of postage!
One of the problems has been the high handed and unresponsive way staff and officials have dealt with members and issues.The withdrawal of the “Hole in the Wall” award at Bodmin the other year is a prime example.
Let’s hope CAMRA can now get back on the right track
Truth is that CAMRA hasn’t helped itself. The Good Beer Guide has become increasingly unwieldy and irrelevant. The axing of What’s Brewing through the post distanced the membership from an interest in its activities. And its campaigning focus on Britain’s brewing history has become lost over time. Where, for example, was the outcry and campaign over the recent closure of the excellent Banks’s brewery?
It no longer knows what it’s for. If it can’t even run a decent beer festival then it’s time to go.
Perhaps if CAMRA had not gone woke, many members, including myself and several colleagues, would not have resigned.
Perhaps get back to campaigning for pubs and cask ale and less about wokey diversity issues.
Camera should disband at a national and local level it’s had its day Real Ale has been saved from it’s 1970’s nye extermination.
Real ale is to expensive for people on minimum wage, so people tend to drink at home 4 pint cans costing around 5 pounds with equivalent costing almost 16 pounds in a pub. Diabolical prices k now wonder pubs are closing down