Women On Tap Festival

Our first beer and arts festival took place in 2017. Even full lockdown in 2020 couldn’t stop play for this event, which happened annually from 2017-2023, spotlighting the work of brilliant women in an otherwise male dominated industry.

Rooted in Harrogate, the festival began as a town centre initiative, delivering pop up events in bars. It quickly grew to expand across the region. In 2020, rather than pull the plug, the team reworked the festival, putting together an online programme of talks, tastings, virtual gigs, yoga, and panel discussions at a time when most things were being cancelled and many people became isolated. 

Watch the film below.

Continuing to work within a fast-changing situation and wanting to keep the new further afield audience engaged (the 2020 festival saw participants from across the UK and as far as the US, Australia, and Italy), the 2021 festival became a blend of virtual and live events - a format set to be continued.

The Women On Tap Creative Commissions were introduced to the festival programme in 2021. A callout was made for proposals in response to one of four themes relating to beer, pubs and equality. Six varied commissions were selected and released across the festival, with wide ranging content including a podcast, embroidery, a short film, and digital drawings. All selected creators are paid a fee for their work.

Below is a summary of the 2021 Festival.

In 2024, the festival took the form of SUMMER HOP 🌱 and 2025 became a year of pause and reflection. A new Advisory Board was formed, developing a strategic plan and Theory of Change model for Women On Tap CIC. Work is underway to bring back the festival in 2026.