2026 Sponsorship – What, When, and How

If you are a regular sponsor, know the score, and just want the sponsor form you can pick it up here.

Get The 2026 Sponsor Form

If you want to see what’s new for 2026 check out the 1/2 Barrel Sponsor.

If you need to get in touch with us about anything below please email us at: sponsors@bentnbongs.com

There’s a lot of information on this page so we’ve structured it in two parts. Part one talks about the bits and pieces included in a sponsorship package. Tickets, admission, beer tokens, all that kind of things. Then part two talks about the packages themselves and what they include. To get around quickly everything is linked here:

  1. All the Bits and Pieces Included in the Sponsorship Packages
  2. The Packages Available and What They Include
  3. Advertising in the Festival Programme
  4. Beyond Half a Million Thank You’s

All the Bits and Pieces That Make Up Each Package

Tickets

Every package includes a number of admission tickets. Each ticket is valid for any beer festival session. Use some on Thursday, come back on Friday, and then use up any stragglers on Saturday. When you use them is entirely up to you, however we really suggest the ticket only early hour on Thursday which is for sponsors only. Standard admission tickets do not bypass any queue. That’s right, if we have a queue you get to join it with everyone else. The ticket gets you in, it doesn’t jump the queue. But we have a solution to that, read on about Priority Entry Tickets

Priority Entry Tickets

Some packages include a number of priority entry tickets. These tickets will bypass a queue if there is one. You turn up and walk straight in.

The Sponsors’ Only Hour (Thursday 5pm – 6pm)

Without doubt this is the best hour of the whole festival. It’s like getting to Glastonbury a day early.

On Thursday (and only on Thursday) we open the festival an hour early for sponsors only. For 2026 the public get to come in at 6pm. Sponsors are welcome from 5pm.

This sponsors’ hour is totally brilliant. It is really cool and chilled. You get to be the first people to see the festival and you see it at it’s absolute best. You get first dibs on all the tables and chairs. Every beer is available. And you feel a bit special knowing you are doing something that’s limited to the chosen few.

It’s a great way to entertain some clients or bring your team out to say Thanks for working hard. And we dare say this also convinces your team to work harder still next year. You can chit chat. Do some networking, and the bar staff have heaps of time to talk beer if there is something you’ve seen that you specifically want to try.

The only way the Sponsors’ Hour could be better would be if there was free beer. Well hold that thought and keep reading …

Sponsors’ Hour Free Beer Tokens

Free beer? Did someone say Free Beer?

We certainly did. When you walk into the sponsors’ hour on Thursday with a sponsor’s ticket we give you a £10 sheet of tokens. There’s no catch. There’s no restriction on what beer you can buy. We give you a sheet of tokens and you go find your first beer.

These free tokens expire at last orders. Unlike regular tokens we won’t cash them back in for cash at the end of the night. Use ’em or lose ’em.

What happens if you go through all your free tokens? Don’t worry about it. It’s happened to all of us. We’ve all had that raging thirst and that first drink tastes sooooo good. We’ve got you covered. The token desk will be open from 5pm so that you can top up your token supply whenever you want to.

Programme and Barrel Mentions

Some packages include your name on the end of a barrel and the equivalent mention in the festival programme. The bigger packages (bars, entertainment, and such) include a big banner with your name and logo over whatever you are sponsoring.

Businesses and Personal

I’m not A business but is there any way I can still sponsor the festival as a group of friends?

The quick answer: Yes. Of course you can.

Everything works the same with the packages. The costs and benefits are exactly the same whether you’re a business or a group of individuals. In face this year, 2026, we have introduced the 1/2 Barrel Sponsorship Package specifically for groups of friends.

Engagement? Wedding? Milestone birthday? Christening? In memory of a lost loved one? Or just a bunch of friends wanting to support a local event and charity. You choose the reason and we’ll put your message up there for you.

The Packages and What They Include

Barrel Sponsor

This is the most popular package by far. Most sponsors take this package. It includes:

  • 10 tickets for general admission at any session
  • Each of these 10 tickets gets you in to the Thursday sponsors’ only session
  • £10 of beer tokens for everyone attending the Thursday sponsors’ only session
  • Your name on the end of a barrel (real ale barrels)
  • Your name and description in the festival programme, and a mention on our website sponsors’ page

The price for this package is £145.

If you are totting all this up in your head, yes, you are right. Ten people’s admission, plus £10 each of beer tokens at the Thursday sponsor’s session and you can see how good value this is.

It’s better still if you are sponsoring as a business. Tick YES on the form and we will send you a receipt to take the cost through your accounts and save a bit of tax. Book it as client entertaining or team building. The team that drinks together thinks together.

1/2 Barrel Sponsor (New for 2026)

We’ve put this in by request to better match groups of friends who want to sponsor the festival. We only have a limited number of these packages available as a trial for 2026 so grab one quick if you want one. This package includes:

  • 5 tickets for general admission at any session
  • Each of these 5 tickets gets you in to the Thursday sponsors’ only session
  • £10 of beer tokens for everyone attending the Thursday sponsors’ only session
  • Your name on the end of a barrel – N.B. Cider barrels only for this package
  • Your name and description in the festival programme, and a mention on our website sponsors’ page

The price for this package is £72.50.

Priority Entry Barrel Sponsor

This is the same as the Standard Barrel Sponsor but we convert two of the free tickets to priority entry. These priority entry tickets will bypass any queue we have up to 7:30pm. Priority entry tickets are the only way to bypass the queue.

The price for this is £165.

We can upgrade this package on request to include more priority entry tickets. Get in touch if you want to discuss this.

Bar Sponsor

We are into the bigger packages at this point.

Sponsoring a bar includes everything in the standard barrel sponsor’s package plus we hang a banner over one of the bars with your business name and logo.

The package includes:

  • A big banner over one of the festival bars
  • 10 tickets for general admission at any session
  • Each of these 10 tickets gets you in to the Thursday sponsors’ only session
  • £10 of beer tokens for everyone attending the Thursday sponsors’ only session
  • Your name and description in the festival programme, and a mention on our website sponsors’ page

If you need more than the 10 included tickets or you want to upgrade some tickets to priority entry we can bespoke this package for you. Get in touch and we can discuss it.

The price for this is £250.

Entertainment Sponsor

This is just like the Bar Sponsor package plus we hang the banner with your company name and logo over the stage.

The package includes:

  • A big banner over the stage
  • 10 tickets for general admission at any session
  • Each of these 10 tickets gets you in to the Thursday sponsors’ only session
  • £10 of beer tokens for everyone attending the Thursday sponsors’ only session
  • Your name and description in the festival programme, and a mention on our website sponsors’ page

The price for this package is £300.

As per the bar sponsors we can bespoke this package a little for you if you want to do something different. Get in touch and we can talk through the options.

Tokens Sponsor

This is pretty cool. Like the bar and entertainment sponsors we hang a banner with your company name and logo over the token desk. We also print your details onto the tokens. Yes, each and every sheet of tokens.

The package includes all the benefits of a barrel sponsor; 10x admission tickets, your name in the festival programme and a link from our website.

If you are interested in this get in touch as soon as possible as we need to check that the tokens haven’t already gone to print.

Includes:

  • A big banner over the token desk
  • Your name and logo printed on every token sheet
  • 10 tickets for general admission at any session
  • Each of these 10 tickets gets you in to the Thursday sponsors’ only session
  • £10 of beer tokens for everyone attending the Thursday sponsors’ only session
  • Your name and description in the festival programme, and a mention on our website sponsors’ page

The price for this is £300.

Just like the bar and entertainment packages we can bespoke the tickets included for you.

Glass Sponsor

Sorry folks, this is now sold out for 2026.

This is the big one and it’s pretty awesome.

We print your company logo on the festival glasses. Yes, all three thousand of them. That’s so cool huh?

We include the usual 10x admission tickets and then we amp this up by adding an extra 10x priority entry tickets. Twenty admission tickets in total and ten of them bypass the queue.

In total this includes:

  • Your name and logo on 3,000 festival glasses
  • 10 tickets for general admission at any session
  • 10 priority entry tickets for when you need to skip the queue
  • Each of these 20 tickets gets you in to the Thursday sponsors’ only session
  • £10 of beer tokens for everyone attending the Thursday sponsors’ only session
  • Your name and description in the festival programme, and a mention on our website sponsors’ page

This takes some organising with your artwork for the glasses so you need to be talking to us as early as possible if you want to take this up.

The price for this package is £600.

Advertising in the Festival Programme

We offer advertising space in the festival programme.  Anything from a quarter page up to a full page including the back and inside covers.  It’s an affordable way to reach people; most of whom are local, most of whom enjoy a few beers, a night out with friends, something good to eat, and a bit of entertainment. Put a coupon in there. Make them an offer they can’t refuse.

Let’s be honest about this. Advertising with us is not likely to lead to you buying the island next door to Sir Richard Branson. There. We’ve said it. What it will do is get you in front of the estimated 3,000 to 4,000 people (mostly local) visiting the festival over the three days. We are also a registered charity so this is a great way to book a few pounds to the corporate and social responsibility line in your accounts.

If you are interested in this send us an email to advertising@bentnbongs.com and we’ll send you the rate card for programme adverts.

What Are You Waiting For – Do It – Do It Now!

If you have read this far you are interested, right? Or you are really really bored and stuck on today’s Wordle.

Assuming it’s the first one all you have to do next is pick up the 2026 sponsor form, fill in your details, and then send it back to us.

We can do this paperless if you prefer, and to be honest we prefer this as well. Send the form back by email (address on the form), send us an electronic payment, and you’re all set. We’ll do the rest.

Beyond Half A Million Thank Yous To All Our Sponsors

We say this all the time and we can never say it enough. Thank You so much to all you wonderful people for supporting the festival.  We couldn’t run this event without you, and for that, and on behalf of the charities we support, we are eternally grateful.

In the years since the start of the festival the money raised is now beyond half a million pounds. Let’s just let than hang in the air for a moment. Half. A. Million. Pounds. That’s how much goodness you have helped put back into the local community.

If you want to see where the proceeds from the festival go, head over to the blog of the Bent and Bongs Charitable Trust, the festival’s governing charity.