The Rotherham Real Ale and Music Festival is one of the UK’s most popular and successful beer festivals, but have you ever wondered how it all began?
Back in 1992, Oakwood Comprehensive decided to organise a special event to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the school. The school’s governors decided to organise a small beer festival, inviting former pupils and teachers back for an informal re-union. The event featured just twenty different beers, including beers produced by a brand new North Yorkshire brewery – Black Sheep – which had opened for business just a few weeks earlier.
The formula was an instant hit and quickly grew in popularity, with friends, family and past pupils of Oakwood School returning to soak up the unique atmosphere. Such was the popularity of the event that by 2010 the Festival was beginning to show signs that it was starting to outgrow its home.
Organisers began the difficult task of finding a new, larger venue to allow the festival to continue, and in 2011 the festival relocated to the Magna Science and Adventure Centre. Since then, the festival has gone from strength to strength, and continues in its charitable ethos, with proceeds being used to support local good causes.
Who is Baa’sil?
Regular visitors to the Festival receive news and updates from Baa’sil, the Festival’s official mascot. Baa’sil is a beer loving sheep who was found grazing in the grounds of Oakwood school in 2004.
Baa’sil returned to the Festival in 2005 and has been a permanent fixture ever since. He can be seen each year at the festival, producing tasting notes for all drinks featured inside the festival (as well as the occasional joke!).
Previous Themes
Each year the Festival has a different theme. Previous themes have included:
- 2024 – The Director’s Cut
- 2023 – Baa t’at (Yorkshire themed festival)
- 2021 – Virtual Festival
- 2022 – Festival for heroes
- 2020 – Lambusters
- 2019 – Baas, Bands and Beers
- 2017 – Mines a Pint!
- 2015 – Baa Watch
- 2014 – Ale to the Festival
- 2013 – Baasil Goes West
- 2012 – Baas of Steel
- 2011 – The White Rose Festival
- 2010 – Great Northern Festival
- 2009 – A Day at the Races
- 2008 – The Legendary Festival
- 2007 – The Yorkshire Championship
- 2006 – The Festival of Heroes
- 2005 – Back to the Baa
- 2004 – The Great Baa – the theme was Sheep; Baasil made his first appearance, but we didn’t know his name then!
- 2003 – London to Yorkshire
- 2002 – The Yorkshire Championship
- 2001 – Bars of Soaps – This was the first Festival that we offered German bottled beer. Three WebCams streamed live pictures during the event.
- 2000 – Yorkshire Greater Ales
- 1999 – The Magnificent Seventh
- 1998 – Sporty Sixth
- 1997 – Fabulous Fifth
- 1996 – Fantastic Fourth
- 1995 – Third Smashing Year! (First year the festival is referred to as the Rotherham Real Ale and Music Festival)
- 1994 – The 2nd Real Ale Festival
- 1993 – Unthemed
- 1992 – 40th Anniversary of Oakwood School