Beer fans, this one’s for you. For the first time ever, Australia’s longest-running beer festival is coming to Sydney – bringing together more than 300 craft beer producers for a hops-fuelled fiesta, right in the heart of the city. And while the main focus of BeerFest is, of course, the brews, there’s a lot more to expect from this two-day party, including drinks workshops, foodie pop-ups and live performances, with a headline show from high-octane dance music duo Sneaky Sound System.
For a little background, BeerFest is a nationwide festival of craft – celebrating boutique makers, local artisans and, naturally, Aussie-based breweries. Since its first event in Launceston in 2010, the event has gone on to expand to Western Australia, Canberra, Melbourne and Geelong, with its first Sydney event taking place this November. A $25 ticket will score you access to the market-style fest which is going down at Darling Harbour’s Tumbalong Park, with live comedy shows, blind tastings, masterclasses, food and drink pairings and more. Want a tattoo? Ink Carts will be popping up on site. Keen to learn how to mix the perfect cocktail? You can do that here too.
Drink vendors at BeerFest Sydney include Marrickville’s Philter Brewing, Surry Hills spirit lords Brix Distillers and the Blue Mountains-based Mountain Culture Beer Co, who recently took home the crown for best craft beer in Australia for the second-year running. To keep you fuelled between drinks, food will be provided by the likes of Dirtybird Foodtruck, We Donut Care and Smoky Sue’s Barbecue.
On the entertainment front, Sneaky Sound System – the high-energy dance-music duo who brought us the gloriously catchy Pictures – are headlining this year’s line-up, lighting up Tumbalong Park’s huge new sound shell on Saturday, December 7. They’ll be joined on the music line-up by Daft Punk tribute act Discovery and DJ John Course, with more entertainment coming in the form of stand-up comedy from Luke Heggie, John Cruckshank, Chris Ryan and Mitch Garling.
“BeerFest Australia’s mission is to create vibrant, inclusive, and slightly rebellious festivals that celebrate the best of Australian craft, culture, and community,”
It’s all going down on the first weekend of December, with tickets starting from $25 – you can book yours over here.