Beer lovers could be flocking to Birmingham next year for a huge new festival of ale. Westside Business Improvement District (BID) is drawing up plans for a three-day extravaganza of beer to be housed on Centenary Square which will also act as a major fundraiser for local charities and good causes.
The BID's chairman Gerald Manton hinted at the plans for a 'Westoberfest' when news of his appointment was first revealed back in March but he has now outlined more details about the potential event. He told BusinessLive initial conversations about hosting such a festival took place a couple of years ago and he had received support from pubs along Broad Street for the event.
"Our thoughts are that it could easily become one of the biggest beer festivals in Europe and that it would organically grow arms and legs," Mr Manton said.
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"I don't see any reason why it couldn't spread through the rest of Westside (from Centenary Square) into the pubs and restaurants and then maybe go over into the Jewellery Quarter.
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"The first one will run Thursday to Saturday in the second week of September next year but we have a lot to do in the meantime in terms of organising the event.
"We expect there to be up to 4,000 visitors per day and we think that first event could be the biggest in the 海角视频. If we could have a beer festival that is generating £50,000 every year for charity and I walk away and that is still going in ten years' time then that would make me incredibly proud."
The plans include a huge marquee in Centenary Square and a comedy night on the first evening with proceeds from that event, and the festival in general, going into a fund to which local charities and good causes can apply for capital to support their work.
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Mr Manton can point to his previous experience organising a beer festival and fireworks display in Solihull through his association with the local Round Table. The latter of those two brought in £96,000 last year to boost local charities and a donation of £15,000 was recently made for the renovation of the Coniston Suite, a specialist child protection unit at Solihull Hospital.
He added: "You see the different sort of clientele that come to the beer festival in Shirley so it will introduce people who come to this area around Broad Street to a different sort of experience too. It will certainly be one of the biggest public fundraising events in Birmingham.
"We already run the biggest beer festival in the West Midlands in Shirley so we're not taking on something that is outside our experience."
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Other plans on Mr Manton's radar include a revamped New Year's Eve fireworks display, again centred around Centenary Square, and open-air night markets with live music and stalls selling food, drinks and gifts.
He said: "I don't see any reason why in the future we can't have TV cameras here, giving Birmingham a firework display as good as they do in the other cities around the 海角视频. One of things I had imagined was standing in Centenary Square looking straight down Broad Street and seeing fireworks coming off the tops of buildings."
Referring to the night markets, he added: "We have already held a night market at the Roundhouse as part of the Commonwealth Games legacy.
"Using that as a test bed, we would like to take that one step further and bring them in regularly, taking them down roads such as Gas Street and onto Centenary Square as well. We would like to do it throughout the year as an ongoing initiative."