Bluebell Beer Festival
Join us for a unique festival experience with craft beers, live music, and vintage steam trains at the Bluebell Railway Beer Festival!
Imagine sitting at our beautiful Kingscote Railway station sipping wine or a tasty gin or even a glass of your favourite real ale. All amongst steam engines running up and down our glorious railway. Added to this live music at multiple venues and topped with some of your favourite food. Is there a better way to spend your weekend? Come and join us for our stand out beer festival.
Bluebell Railway Beer Festival – Beer List 2025
Confirmed bands playing
- Bow Fiddle Strings
- GTA Band UK
- Man The Lifeboats
- Reminiscents
- Smokestack
- Tar Babies
- The Magpies
- The Remnants
- Traveling Ukes
- V5 (formerly known as Into The Blue) - Featuring Vikkii Webb Medhurst
Our bars
We will have bars located across the railway. If arriving via East Grinstead why not visit our platform bar where beer will be available whilst you await a train.
Alternatively you can try our newly created wine bar located at Kingscote Station goods yard, there will be gentle music and a variety of beers, gin and wine, with fancy crepe’s from our pancake provider Crepe de la Creme, including gluten free & veggie options. We are proud to be supported by The Surrey Copper Distillery and Plumpton Wine Estate, as well as CAMRA at Kingscote.
Next stop Horsted Keynes with live music (Saturday and Sunday) and more beers from LSWR Carriage 1520 on Platform 1. And, in case that is not enough our major bar and stage area, at Sheffield Park Station, will have in the region of 100 ales and craft beers as well as live music and bands across all 3 days together with a variety of hot food, meals and snacks.
Our beers
Choose from a variety of different cask beers and enjoy a fine selection of cider and perry too! Beer aficionados will be pleased to hear that priority will be given to Sussex breweries, with an aim of offering each local brewery an opportunity of supplying one of their ales, likewise with cider and perry.
All drinks will be individually priced and sold by pint, half pint and third pint or other appropriate measures for wine and gin. A simple beer token system will be in operation for the beer, with beer tokens available for sale from outlets across the railway. Payment for wine and gin at Kingscote maybe by cash or card.
Further event details
What does my ticket include?
Your ticket includes unlimited travel on our railway on the day you visit, it also includes a free Bluebell Beer Festival glass and your first pint for free!
A busy train timetable will be running throughout all three days, including Friday and Saturday evening.
The bar at Sheffield Park Station will close at 10.00pm, with the last rail service leaving Sheffield Park at 10.15pm on both Friday & Saturday.
A bus service will be in operation to Haywards Heath from Sheffield Park after until 11pm.
East Grinstead Station
Visit our platform bar for a pint of refreshing ale prior to setting out on your journey South. Beer will be available on the platform between 11am and 3pm each day*, whilst you wait for your train.
Kingscote
A NEW ADDITION FOR 2025… Visit our new bar in the goods area adjacent to platform 1.
The bar will have real ale in cask available as well as an opportunity to try locally made gin from Surrey Copper and locally made wine from the Bluebell Vine yard.
This bar will be open from 11am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday and will feature live music from ‘Sharon’ on Saturday and ‘Bowfiddle Strings’ on Sunday.
For this year we will have crepes available for sale to help keep you satisfied.
Horsted Keynes
Horsted Keynes will once again host visitors on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with a range of beers being available from the carriage 1520 on Platform 1.
This bar will be open between 11am and 5pm each day with refreshments being available from Buffet on platform 3/4.
There will also be live music from ‘Smokestack’ on Saturday and the ‘Travelling Yukes’ on Sunday.
Sheffield Park
Once again our main bar will be located in the running shed at Sheffield Park. With almost 100 cask ales available and a craft bar as well as a cider bar there is a wide range choices. In addition the Bessemer Arms will be open for visitors looking for something else…There is plenty of choice!
The bar at Sheffield Park will be open between 11am and 10pm daily.
As well as food from the Bessemer Arms there will be a mobile pizza van and jacket potato outlet across all three days and evenings.
Live music will be available from late Friday afternoon until 9.45pm. Also, there will be live music from 11.30am to 9.45pm on Saturday and once again on Sunday between 12pm 4pm. There are a number bands playing over the weekend with something for everybody.
Note * All beers subject to availability.
