The Sportsman's Rest in Porchfield is a village pub in the mid-island that has been running a real ale and cider festival across the bank holiday weekend for enough years that it has become part of the May calendar for people who know it. Thursday to Sunday, 14 to 17 May, late morning through late evening, with a rotating selection of cask ales and ciders from island and mainland producers.
Porchfield sits between Newport and Cowes in the central north of the island, and the Sportsman's Rest is the kind of rural free house that requires a deliberate journey to reach, which is precisely what makes it a proper local rather than a stopping point. The beer festival turns the bank holiday weekend into a reason to make that journey for four days rather than just once, and the quality of the cask ales tends to include producers that do not make it to the larger island beer festivals.
No booking required; arrive and drink. The Sportsman's Rest, Porchfield. More food and drink events on the Isle of Wight across the spring bank holiday.