Midsummer Beer Happening in Stonehaven raises £53,000 to support 20 local good cause

The Midsummer Beer Happening in Stonehaven has good reasons to say cheers after 6,000 visitors flocked to the hugely popular festival – helping the event raise £53,000 for local good causes.

 This means the Happening has now raised an amazing £428,000 since it started life as the Stonehaven Real Ale Festival in 2009.

 Organisers have thanked everyone who visited the three-day event this year – held from Thursday to Saturday last week - even braving lashing rain and downpours on the final day of the Happening.

Robert Lindsay, festival manager, said: “As the grey skies darkened and the rain lashed down, sometimes at what seemed like monsoon proportions, everyone in our purpose-built marquee kept their smiles bright and their enthusiastic fun level turned all the way up.

“It really was a fantastic three-days, not only the thousands who came along to enjoy the Happening but also for all the volunteers who rolled up their sleeves to stage an event that has become one of the most popular in the north-east’s calendar.

“Even better is the fact that they not only had a good time, but they have also left a fantastic legacy of helping charities and causes in and around Stonehaven. That really is something everyone can smile about – and be proud of.

The funds raised will be disbursed between almost 20 local organisations who support all aspects of life in the town, from helping young people to caring for the elderly.

 Stonehaven Fireballs, Stonehaven Sea Cadets and Friends of Kincardine Community Hospital will each receive £7,000. The Friends have a project to buy special chairs which convert to beds to allow family of patients to stay in the ward, especially in end-of-life situations.

Robert said: “All three of these organisations do so much to make our town so special. The Fireballs put Stonehaven in the global spotlight every year, while the Sea Cadets help give young people the best start in life.

“And we were struck by the compassion behind the Friends’ chair-to-bed project, bringing comfort and care to families facing the loss of a loved one.”

In addition, £2,000 each will go to RNLI Stonehaven, Stonehaven & District Lions Club, Stonehaven Men’s Shed, Stonehaven Folk Festival, Stonehaven Scouts, Stonehaven Girl Guides, Stonehaven Youth FC, Mackie RFC Youth, and Dunnottar School.

Receiving £1,000 each will be Stonehaven Amateur Swimming Club, Aberdeen and Stonehaven Yacht Club, Rhythm Dance Nation, and Dunnottar Pipes and Drum, who played at the Happening on Friday evening.

And £500 will go to Stonehaven Cricket Club, Stonehaven Gymnastics Club, Paws On Plastic and Stonehaven Cycling Club.

Volunteers from each of the charities worked for the whole three days of the Happening, from pulling pints to clearing rubbish, welcoming people to the marquee to waving them good night at the end of each day.

The Happening boasted some 120 hand-picked beers and ciders, a roster of talented local musicians to provide the soundtrack to the event, plus an al fresco food court boasting award-winning street food vendors.

It also saw the return of the Happening’s hugely popular cycling sportive which saw more than 700 riders tackle four different, and gruelling, routes across the Mearns countryside during Saturday’s torrential rain.

Robert said the whole of the MSBH team were grateful to everyone – from visitors to volunteers to sponsors – who helped raise so much not just this year, but every year since the first Stonehaven Real Ale Festival 16 years ago.

“We first started as some friends putting on a beer festival in the Town Hall and having fun. We never imagined then that from pulling those first pints at a wee get together we would see it grow in the Midsummer Beer Happening which is one of the major events in the north-east’s year bringing 6,000 people to the town over three days.

“And for it to have raised £428,000 over the years is something that we find quite humbling. It’s down to the volunteers who make the Happening happen and the people who come along to enjoy it – even through driving rain in the middle of summer.

“We never take that support for granted, and we cannot thank them enough.”

Robert also thanked the sponsors for this year’s Midsummer Beer Happening: Claxton; Macphie; Deeside Timberframe; Six Degrees North; The Bay Fish and Chips; Whittaker; Simpsons Malt; NFU Mutual; Raeburn Christie Clark & Wallace; EnerQuip; Stonehaven Cycling Club; Colin Lawson Transport; Marine Hotel; Bike Remedy; IS Digital Agency, A&M Smith; Groundwater Lift Trucks and MGS Logistics.

Robert said: “This weekend we have made lasting memories for thousands of people – and for ourselves. And now we start planning make 2026 just as memorable.”