Beer tickets sold out within half an hour

The concept behind the Palm beer event is simple: a strip of tickets (‘strippenkaart’) costs 10 euros and allows you to get a Palm beer in seven different pubs. So you get to drink a special beer for a steal. The event is immensely popular among students. Half an hour before the start of the advance sales at about 12 noon yesterday, an enormous queue stretched from the front of the Vlaamse Reus pub all the way to the church. ‘So we started selling the tickets a little earlier,’ says pub owner Carel Oomes. ‘Otherwise, the queue might have become a streamer all around the church.’ Rumours of touting limited ticket sales to a maximum of five per person. Those who went away empty handed can still turn up in the inner city on 7 November. Palm beers are also for sale at the usual prices. Oomes will try to find a way to cater to these people, but not with additional tickets. ‘There aren’t enough participating pubs to make this possible,’ adds Oomes. ‘We also need to consider the safety aspects.’ However, Oomes has arranged for 300 extra Christmas hats to be given away at the Palm wagon that evening. First come, first served.