Just when you thought to bring your umbrellas for the predicted full day of rain on Saturday, the weather did a full 180 degree turn and everyone went scrambling to find their sunnies. It was the perfect weather for a game of footy & beers.
The annual Beer Footy Food Festival was held at Henson Park with a attendance of 8972 (which has suspiciously been the same number of attendees for every home game since the 1990s) including inner west locals, Newtown Jets fans, craft beer enthusiasts and the odd Rabbitohs supporter.
As soon as the gates opened, crowds quickly flocked over to the beer area of the oval. There was a spoil for choice with over 30 craft beer stands to choose from (including Mountain Culture, Hawkes Brewery, Akasha, Batch, Bridge Road, Six String Brewery, Wayward, Willie The Boatman and Young Henry's just to name a few). It was great to see many craft beer stands together especially during a time when independent brewers are shutting their doors or going in liquidation in an alarming rate.
On the other side of the pond was the food stands. A wide range of food options were at your finger tips. A popular spot for a feed was the Volkswurst Kombi stand serving their German style sausage hotdogs. It was definitely worth waiting 10 minutes in line for.
The food area was a dangerous trek however. The morning rain had made the grounds muddy and if you slipped and feel, you would cop a "oooiiii" from the crowd.
During the chaos of lining up for a beer, grabbing a bite to eat and waiting for the footy to start, the legends from Pro Wrestling Australia played a few rounds of "family friendly fun". More like rounds of fighting with absolutely no rules for foul play and no judiciary to speak of. Among the legends was a familiar face, Digby Robinson from Manly's Big Red Fire Truck. Posing with his firey red hair and pink & black band logo pants, he was a fan favourite during the pregame show.
Finally it was game time, the 1981 replay of the Newtown Jets vs Parramatta Eels. With every try the Jets scored, the commentator said it was the greatest try ever seen at the oval (he says that every week). The final score of the match was Jets 30 - Eels 16. A great result for the home team.
NEWTOWN JETS VS PARRAMATTA EELS RESULTS
The festival turned out to be another great success for the mighty Bluebaggers and the friendly craft beer stand holders.
Be sure to follow the Beer Footy Food Festival & Newtown Jets social media pages to stay up to date for their upcoming events & Jets tradition alive for future generations.
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It was a cracking day out! What a turnaround in the weather. Dodging the rain for warm up beers on the way to Batch Brewing through to sunnies being required by gates open. Great write up that captured he bet of what's becoming one of Sydney's best traditions.