The festival calendar becomes busier by the week as the popularity of craft beer grows. We’ll do our best to ensure they’re all listed in our Events Diary but figured it wouldn’t hurt to pull together the larger events in the one place for ease of reference.
Below you’ll find a list of one or two-day festivals either based around craft beer or with a significant craft beer representation on their lineup as well as the beer weeks lined up for the coming months. Where they’re already listed in our Events Diary, you can find out more by clicking on the highlighted text below.
If you’re running such an events – or know of one that should be on this list and isn’t – please email crafty@craftypint.com and events@craftypint.com and we’ll get it added to the list.
SEPTEMBER
- September 14
NSW
The Bottle-O Lambton Beer Festival (Newcastle, NSW) – 20 beer and cider producers
OCTOBER
October 18 to 20
NSW
The 9th Annual Australian Hotel Beer Festival – 24 brewer and cider stalls, entertainment, meet the brewer sessions, blind tastings and moreOctober 19
VIC
Bendigo Beer Presents Oktoberfest – German style beers, pork knuckles, Aussie and German music and traditional dress at the Bendigo Harness Racing ClubOctober 19 to 26
NSW
Sydney Craft Beer Week – More than 60 diverse events celebrating craft beer and the growing scene in Sydney (program unveiled September 2)
NOVEMBER
November 2 & 3
NSW
Bitter & Twisted Festival at Maitland Gaol, NSWNovember 8 to 17
WA
WA Beer Week – the biggest ever WA Beer Week features more than 80 events across the state where craft beer in Australia was born, including the launch of the Fremantle Beer FestivalNovember 15 & 16
TAS
Tasmanian International Beerfest – Join 12,000 and heaps of brewers as one of Australia’s biggest beer festivals takes over Hobart’s waterfront once againNovember 16
VIC
Beers By The Bay – Mornington’s craft beer festival returns to the Mornington Racecourse promising more beer, cider, wine, food and live entertainmentNovember 23
VIC
Willy Beer Fest – Brewers, cider and winemakers and bands unite to mark the 150th anniversary of Williamstown’s Steam Exchange Hotel and the town’s brewing heritageNovember 30
VIC
Bendigo Craft Beer Festival – details TBCDecember 7
VIC- Ales on the Ovens
JANUARY
January 11 & 12
NSW
Taste of the World Beer Festival, Newcastle – a handful of microbreweries rub shoulders with the big boys at this event at the Newcastle Harness Racing ClubJanuary 18 & 19
TAS
Tamar Valley Beer Festival, Tasmania – a mix of brewers large and small plus cider, wine, food and good timesJanuary 18
VIC
Ballarat Beer Festival – the hugely successful festival returns for a third outing with the usual blend of brewers, cider, food, live bands and kids stuff on the City Oval (pictured above)Late January
NSW
Warners at the Bay Beer Festival, Newcastle – dates TBC but moving to Jan from November
FEBRUARY
February 1
VIC
Great Australian Beer Festival, Geelong – The organisers are planning to add cabaret and street performance elements to the beer, cider, food and tunesFebruary 22 and 23
WA
South West Craft Beer Festival, Busselton, WAFebruary 22 to March 2
NSW
Newcastle Craft Beer Week incl Warners at the Bay Festival
APRIL
- April Dates TBC
ACT
Canberra Craft Beer Festival
MAY
May 17 to 25
VIC
Good Beer Week, Melbourne – Australia’s leading beer week returns for a fourth time, bringing the entire Aussie beer world together with some of the world’s best at well over 100 venuesMay 21 & 22
VIC
Australian Craft Brewers Conference, Melbourne – The Craft Beer Industry Association hosts its second conference for craft brewersMay 23 to 25
VIC
Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular, Melbourne – Expect more unique, one-off brews in the amazing surrounds of the Royal Exhibition Building.