THIS August seven bars on Jesmond’s popular Osborne Road will set aside their friendly rivalry and unite to host a free to attend gin festival.
Jesmond Gin Festival will run from Thursday 03 to Sunday 06 August 2017, bringing together over 30 brands including local distilleries to offer gin fans tastings and educational masterclasses, with an interactive map to complete.
Pioneered by Cairn Group, with support from Malhotra Group and independent venues, bars involved in the four-day-long event include Sohe, 97 & Social, Spy Bar, Jam Jar, Billabong, Bar Blanc and Osbornes.
In addition to hosting gin tastings and masterclasses, each bar will create special edition gin-based cocktails for festival-goers to enjoy, as well as food offerings fit for the occasion.
Cocktails will have fixed price bands of £5.50, £6.50 and £7.50 with all venues adding their individual twists for the festival. Local brands involved include Lakes Gin and Alnwick Gin, as well as UK and globally-recognised distillers Kokoro, Bulldog, Moray, Fair, Daffy’s, Tanqueray, Portobello, JJ Whitley, Masons and Hepple.
Ginthusiasts who register in advance will be able to collect a wristband and map showing the participating bars, which visitors can get stamped at each location over the course of the festival.
Completed maps can be submitted via social media using the hashtag #jesmondgin, for the chance to win a UK gin weekend. A themed Snapchat filter will also be available at each of the bars for participants to share their frolics with friends and followers.
Although a free event, a charity donation box will be placed at the festival’s registration stand in aid of Jesmond Trust, where visitors can make voluntary contributions to benefit the local community.
Naveen Handa, director at Cairn Group, said: “We have been part of Osborne Road’s iconic bar and restaurant scene for many years now and were keen to deliver another unique and exciting event for locals to enjoy, following the success of last summer’s Jesmond in Bloom.
“We enlisted support from our neighbours and it’s great to be working together to launch Jesmond Gin Festival. Each bar brings something special to the street which will be amplified as part of the event – celebrating what we do best and showcasing some of the region’s emerging gin brands alongside globally-established serves.”
Matt Stephenson manager of Osbornes added: “Jesmond Gin Festival is a fantastic initiative for Osborne Road – and one which I hope will be repeated for years to come.
“All of the bars on the street get on famously but in the normal course of events we are in competition with each other. Working independently, we have each played a part in making Osborne Road the lively, diverse, family-friendly destination it is today – so we thought what better way to celebrate that and to build on it, than by coming together for a special festival.”
Jesmond Gin Festival will officially open at 4pm on Thursday 03 August, and run from 12noon each of the following days. Visitors can register online for the event now.
For more information on the full event schedule at Jesmond Gin Festival and to register visit www.jesmondfestival.com.