Brews and bands take centre stage at Cogges’ biggest fundraiser of the year! The Cotswold farm’s legendary Beer and Cider Festival brings back sizzling summer sounds on Saturday 10th August, 12pm-10pm with a family-friendly afternoon, BBQ and a fantastic line-up of live music in the barns until late. PLUS: Morris dancing with Charlbury’s Wychwayz Border Morris in the farmyard in the afternoon.
Festival-goers can savour a fruity menu of over 45 different craft beers and ciders, carefully sourced from regional artisan brewers and passionate producers. Summer vibes are paired with a much-anticipated Pimms, wine & prosecco bar. Entry includes a commemorative glass, Festival Guide with tasting notes and two free drink tokens.
The historic farm also celebrates the launch of Cogges’ own beer, Giddy Goat, brewed exclusively by Oxfordshire’s Virtue Brewing. The American IPA made with Citra & Mosaic hops delivers on trend tropical fruits with citrus and passionfruit notes; cans will be available in the farm's shop after the festival. Giddy Goat also remembers Jonathan and (Lady) Mary (named after Downton Abbey character) – two popular goats with big characters, who crossed ‘the rainbow bridge’ earlier this year after long and happy lives entertaining visitors. Giddy Goat enthusiasts (and anyone else!) can help sponsor the farm’s resident Nubian and Pygmy goats via the website, along with recent arrivals, two rare breed 'Royal Golden' Guernsey goats – who's special royal title was granted on 16 July 2024, celebrating King Charles and Queen Camilla’s visit to Guernsey. Arise, King Billy and King Max!
The summer vibe goes on with an all-dayer of live local bands, celebrating home-grown talent, including: headliners, Oxford/Brazillian funk quartet, MARACUTAYA, local alt-rock fanboys Be-Long, Americana country-rock from The Holy Fools, and folk-rock artist and all round rising star Dolly Mavies; plus, local all-star rockers Newspaper Taxi; Charlbury/Witney bluesy-rock from The Vodka Shots – with raspy-loveliness from local legend Dave Oates; one to watch is Kiera Gabrielle, and don’t miss Oxon duo, The Coverbuoys. Opening the entertainment at 1pm, see the versatile talent of our own David Fitzgerald of local rising star act Quartermelon & Lucille and the Lightening Train ranking amongst his impressive musical repertoire.
Nestled in the heart of the Witney, the festival is set in the picturesque Cotswolds stone barns and rustic farmstead, as seen in Downton Abbey - embodying the region's rich heritage and natural beauty. It is supported by a nationally recognised and award-winning volunteer team. Family fun & facepainting until 5pm: Climb the giant haystack, ride the toy tractors, have fun in the adventure play, play croquet on the lawn, meet the animals!
Guy Reed, Cogges’ General Manager, said: “We are so excited to host this years Beer and Cider Festival , it’s a guaranteed great day when you certainly won’t go thirsty, with 35 beers, including our very own ‘Cogges Giddy Goat’ APA , and 11 really wonderful ciders plus ‘ the summer bar’ with Pimms, wine and prosecco. There’s non-stop entertainment with 9 bands including Maracutaya as our headline act, bringing the latin spirit and summer vibe. The Cogges Café also has a BBQ with locally sourced food and treats.
The Beer and Cider festival is our biggest fundraising event by far. Cogges as a charity receives no regular funding, and these events are crucial to maintain and preserve the heritage of this incredible rural gem. All those that attend this and other events at Cogges Manor Farm are playing their part in supporting us and helping us deliver a vision for the future. Thank-you.”
Come and enjoy the best of Cotswold's brewing traditions, live music, locally-sourced food and drink, and a great community vibe that makes Cogges so special. Cheers to great times and even greater tastes!
12PM - 10PM
WRFM- Radio for Oxfordshire & The Cotswolds broadcasting live
£15/ Early bird tickets £13.50 cogges.org.uk/Event/cogges-beer-cider-festival
This is a fundraiser for Cogges Heritage Trust: Cogges’ thanks visitors and sponsors for their support.
Breweries and producers:
Try 45+ craft beers and ciders from: Beers: Siren Craft, Geoffs, Loddon Brewery, Virtue Brewing, Tap Social Movement, Little Ox Brewery, Purity, Hook Norton Brewery, Stroud Brewery, Church Han brewery, Oxford Brewery, North Cotswold, Shakespeare, Donnington and Chadlington. Ciders: Tutts Clump, Cotswold, Hitchcocks and Westons.
Live Music:
Maracutaya (9PM)
This high-energy Oxford-based quartet is a harmonious fusion of talent and passion channeling the essence of Brazil. The band boast three proud natives of Brazil – William Volpato, the captivating voice and master of guitar and harmonicas; Guga Volpato, the rhythmic heartbeat on drums; and Everton Barbato, groovy bass maestro, with Oxford keyboard virtuoso Jeff Young. Stirring up the golden age of Brazilian bossa, soulful blues, and infectious 70s funk, go on a musical adventure across continents with a groove that is unmistakably Maracutaya. Let loose, move to the rhythm, and feel the music in your soul!
Be-Long (8PM)
West-Oxordshire based Nu-Metal & Alt Rock 5 piece covers band Be-Long are well-loved on the local and festie circuit. Pumping out classic 90s/00s bangers by the likes of Blink-182, Biffy Clyro, Offspring and even Tenacious D, expect a lot of fun and stage antics to liven us all up a bit!
https://www.facebook.com/belongbanduk/
The Holy Fools (7PM)
“90 proof Americana with a Tennessee blend”. Get ready for a hoedown, as The Holy Fools combine deep traditional roots with cosmopolitan sensibilities to craft a distinctive brand of Americana. An Oxford-based band, the Holy Fools feature three seasoned veterans of the UK music scene – Jim Driscoll on lead guitar, Harry Brzezinski on dobro and Jason Neil on stand-up bass – breathing fiery life into original songs by lead singer Chris Floyd, drawn from his background in the hills and valleys of rural Tennessee and various sojourns around the world.
https://www.theholyfools.com/about
Dolly Mavies (6PM)
Folk-rock singer songwriter and all round rising star, the Oxfordshire darling stops off post-Truck fest debut and – cue drumroll – mid a mini-HMV store tour. Playing acoustic with compadre Aiden, we can’t wait to be soothed by golden tones conjuring sights and sounds of the summertime. ‘The Calm and the Storm’ is out now, which seems apt for the summer-weather!
Newspaper Taxi (5PM)
Local all-stars playing rock-tinged originals and classics, drawing inspiration from the Beatles and The Kinks through to Tom Petty and Genesis. Band members: Dan Farrell, Alan Snelling, Jon Davies, Rory McInroy & Mark Franklin.
https://www.facebook.com/newspapertaxiband/
Kiera Gabrielle (4PM)
Up & coming songstress Kiera allegedly had a lesson-in-love with ‘Scorpio-Guy’, but if that led to getting shortlisted for Truck and the release of debut EP Scorpio, then Good Job Girl! Show some love for this aspiring young singer-songwriter on the scene.
The Vodka Shots (3PM)
Bluesy rock from Charlbury/Witney’s Dave Oates on vocals with an oscillating line up of local legends and friends. Fun times guaranteed.
https://www.facebook.com/thevodkashots/
The Coverbouys 2PM
This energetic and dynamic music duo from Oxfordshire entertain with summer-ready pop tributes from Simon & Garfunkel to Eagles and more. https://www.facebook.com/thecoverbuoys/
David Fitzgerald (1PM)
Opening the entertainment at 1pm is the versatile and talented David Fitzgerald of local rising stars Quartermelon as well as Lucille and the Lightening Train ranking amongst his impressive musical repertoire. Who knows what he’ll do today, come and find out!
Family friendly - usual farm admission applies for non-Beer Festival ticket holders too. Enjoy fun in the farmyard and delicious food.
Tickets: Cogges.org.uk
Free car park OX28 3FR
Short walk from Witney centre/bus stops
Cogges was awarded best Oxfordshire Volunteer Organisation of the Year 2024 by OCVA (Oxfordshire Community & Voluntary Action)https://www.cogges.org.uk/News/volunteer-award-ceremony
Cogges was also awarded the The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2022. Designed to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to benefit their communities, and equivalent to an MBE, it is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK.
