Australia's Craft Beer Festivals

July 25, 2014, by Crafty Pint

Australia's Craft Beer Festivals

This page has been updated... Click the link below for the latest:

Australia's craft beer festivals 2016/17


As you clasp your hands around a goblet of imperial stout and beg for it to waste no time in warming you from the inside, the warmer weather of spring and summer – and the avalanche of beer festivals they will bring with them – may seem a million miles away. But be here they will and be here in many shapes and sizes they will too.

So here’s a guide to what is taking place around the country: when, where and what you need to know. If you’re involved in a major event, please email details to crafty@craftypint.com if it’s not on this list. All standard event listings can still go to events@craftypint.com.

AUGUST 2014

August 16 at various venues in Bendigo

Wander the venues of Bendigo as a guest of Bendigo Beer sampling beers from heaps of Aussie brewers as you go.

Tickets $45pp


August 22 & 23 at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington

OK, so we said Aussie, but there will no doubt be hundreds of Aussies among the thousands flocking to Wellington’s Westpac Stadium for New Zealand’s premiere craft beer festival.

Well worth the trip to check out Wellington’s bars alone.

Various prices

August 23 & 24 at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre

The man behind Illawarra Brewing Company is putting on a two-day beer festival featuring a range of crafty and not-so-crafty beers, beer lunches, entertainment and the like.

It’ll also feature comedy and commentary from beer-lovin' comedy duo Elbowskin.

Various ticket prices via Ticketmaster

SEPTEMBER 2014

September 20 at a venue TBC in Hobart

Before the Tasmanian International Beerfest became the monster it is today, it was a much smaller, locally-focused affair.

Some of those involved in the original festival keep its spirit alive with this event, also in Hobart, that focuses purely on the state’s small producers.

Ticket details TBC

September 20 & 21 at Brisbane’s Albion Park Harness Racing Club

Join 35 local and international brewers for two days of beer, cider, entertainment, burlesque, harness racing and tasting lunches featuring AIBA Beer Media winner Matt Kirkegaard

$15 in advance; $20 on the door

OCTOBER 2014

Various venues across Queensland

Where once Brisbanites were crying out for a decent choice of beer bars, now their state has two beer weeks.

Queensland Beer Week spreads its tentacles outside the capital as “Australia’s first state wide celebration of craft beer”, as long as you don’t count WA Beer Week or Good Beer Week that is.

Various prices depending on event.

October 17 to 19 in at The Australian Hotel in The Rocks

One of the country’s longest running beer festivals returns to the iconic Australian Hotel in The Rocks with brewer and food stalls, live music and street entertainment.

And, for the second year, The Crafty Pint will be there hosting blind tasting & meet the brewer sessions.

October 18 to 26 at various venues across Sydney

Back for its fourth run out and with more than 100 events, this will be the biggest Sydney Craft Beer Week yet, culminating with the Sip & Savour festival at Carriageworks.

Full program announced on July 28

October 25 to November 2 at various venues across WA

Australia’s longest-running beer week has really come into its own in the past couple of years. Expect to see the biggest and most colourful lineup yet when the program is revealed.

NOVEMBER 2014

November 1 & 2 at the Maitland Gaol

Bitter & Twisted takes over the Maitland Gaol once more with a mix of brewer and cider stalls where you can sample their wares, tasty local produce, live entertainment, meet the brewer and home brew sessions.

Various ticket prices.

November 8 to 14 at various venues across Hobart

Last year, we headed to Hobart to get involved in the first Beer Lovers Week, hosting a Blind Tasting at Tattersalls.

The week long series of events leading up to the Beerfest promises to be bigger and more colourful in year two.

Various prices depending on event.

November 14 and 15 on Hobart’s waterfront

One of the biggest and longest established beer festivals in Australia returns to the waterfront in Hobart, bringing with it a mix of local and international craft (and not so craft) beer with live music and good times.

It’s a festival that’s increasingly drawing visitors from the mainland to Tassie too.

Various ticket prices

November 15 at the Tom Flood Sports Centre

The second year for the Bendigo fest that offers up the tried and tested mixture of craft beer, cider, food stalls and live entertainment.

Various ticket prices

  • Freo Beerfest

November 15 & 16 on the Fremantle Esplanade

In 2013, the Freo Beerfest attracted thousands to the Esplanade for an array of beer, food, cider and wine stalls, entertainment and family fun.

The people behind it looked to repeat the formula at the Esk and Melbourne Beerfests and are back in Freo this November, promising more than 200 beers and ciders to pick from.

Tickets TBC

November 29 in Williamstown

Launched in 2013 to commemorate 150 years of the Steam Packet Inn as well as Williamstown’s brewing heritage, the Willy Beer Fest is set to return with a mix of brewers, food and live entertainment on November 29.

JANUARY 2015

January 16 & 17 outside the James Boags Brewery in Launceston

Brewers big and small gather with a bunch of other local producers for the two-day festival that takes place in the streets alongside James Boags Brewery.

Tickets TBC

January 24 at the Ballarat City Oval

The festival that more than any other set the template for the spate of one- and two-daye open air festivals you see all over Australia now is back for a fourth time.

City Oval will be taken over by lots of beer, a little cider, some big name bands, seminars and, if previous years are any guide, heaps of sunshine.

Tickets on sale soon

FEBRUARY 2015

February 21 at Geelong Racecourse

The Geelong festival returns for a third run out and moves a little later in the year.

It mixes the familiar elements of an outdoor beer festival – beer, food an cider stalls, home brew comp, live music, educational sessions – with more, such as wandering cabaret acts and, if they repeat 2014, a comedy tent.

Tickets not yet on sale.

MAY 2015

May 16 to 24 across Victoria

Good Beer Week celebrates its fifth anniversary (little wonder we’re going grey at Crafty Towers) with what will no doubt be a cavalcade of colourful events across Victoria featuring the best local and international brewers, great chefs, bands, etc etc.

Registrations for the 2015 festival open on October 1.

Various prices from free upwards depending on event

May 22 to 24 at the Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton

Closing out Good Beer Week once again is GABS. Expect more than 100 brand new festival beers, heaps of food and brewer stalls, wandering entertainment, games, educational sessions and more besides as the container bars return.

Various prices including weekend passes


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