Live music filled Lyme Regis Brewery this weekend as locals and visitors came together for the town’s very own twist on the German tradition of its highly anticipated annual Oktoberfest celebration.
‘Beers, beats and bratwurst!’ were the words used by the Brewery to promote the event, which featured an impressive line-up of local artists including Guilty Pleasure and Tilly Jardine.
But beyond the fun and festivities, events like this play a crucial role in keeping the town’s businesses thriving during quieter months.
This is one of a couple of events that are hosted in Lyme Regis with a goal of keeping business moving forward in the seasons where the beach is less visited.
Wes Dowell, 39, Managing Director of Lyme Regis Brewery, said: “We’ve seen over the last couple of decades an increase particularly in weekend visitors during the off season.
“This has helped local traders during the winter, which is crippling financially for small seasonal businesses.”
To make the most of this, the brewery also organises other winter events such as the annual Christmas lights switch-on party, aiming to bring both residents and visitors together even when the tourist crowds fade.
(Credit: Joseph Parfitt)
Ruben Wild, 20, who works at Lyme Regis Brewery, believes the event is about more than just business, he said: “I think having something for the locals to go to will naturally draw more people in, especially festive events like Oktoberfest.”
And it’s not only the traders who benefit, Oktoberfest also offers a platform for local musicians to perform in front of a lively hometown crowd.
Guilty Pleasure headlined the event on Friday night as one of the last stops on their ‘Golden Eras tour’ around Dorset.
The duo, Tom Stroud, 32, and Harvey Causley, 25, both live locally, making Oktoberfest a gig close to home.
Having supported multi-platinum artists including Scouting for Girls and The Hoosiers, the pair credited the local festival for helping launch their career.
Stroud said: “In the early stages, we managed to gain quite a lot of success from the event to the point where we could go on to headline Friday night and support all these bigger artists.”
(Credit: Joseph Parfitt)
After another successful year, Oktoberfest has proved once again that Lyme Regis know how to keep the town lively even in the off-season.
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