THE Better Beer Festival has been cancelled in view of the political sensitivities surrounding the event.

“It is with disappointment that we, the organisers of the Better Beer Festival 2017, announce that the festival, slated to be held on October 6 and 7, will not proceed as scheduled,” said Mybeer (M) Sdn Bhd today.

It said Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) officials had instructed that the event be cancelled due to licensing issues.

“We were further informed that the decision was made due to the political sensitivities surrounding the event.”

DBKL, in a statement, said it had rejected the organiser’s application, which was submitted on August 28.

Its corporate planning director, Khalid Zakaria, said the application for the venue, time and date requested by the organiser was not approved.

The Better Beer Festival, which had been organised successfully for five years in a row, was supposed to have taken place at the Publika Shopping Gallery in Kuala Lumpur, featuring 250 craft beers from 43 breweries worldwide.

The first event, held in 2012 at the Taps Beer Bar in Changkat Bukit Bintang, drew only 200 people, but over the years, attendance grew, with last year’s edition, held in October, attracting 3,500 craft beer lovers.

“We regret any inconvenience caused to our patrons, partners and sponsors, and thank you for your unwavering support over the last week,” said the Mybeer statement.

The company had expected a crowd of 6,000 at this year’s event.

On September 10, PAS had slammed the festival, and warned that Kuala Lumpur could be a vice hub in Asia if such events were allowed to be held. – September 18, 2017.