A Guide To The Texas Craft Brewers Festival
If you love Austin and you love craft beer, the Texas Craft Brewers Festival is a can’t-miss event for you! And if you’re asking yourself, “I’m not a craft brewer…is this festival for me?” the answer is a resounding YES. This festival is for anyone who loves to drink Texas craft beer. (You should all be raising your hands right now.)
Texas Craft Brewers festival is the state's largest celebration of Texas craft breweries, which represents the fastest-growing segment of the beer industry. (Woot!) The festival will include more than a hundred selections of craft beers. You can sample the craft beer, chat with the brewers and brewery owners, and enjoy the live entertainment, all underneath the beautiful Austin Texas sky. There’s also food (and a few other beverages) available at the event for purchase. The festival is held annually in October.
If you haven’t yet been to a craft beer festival, the Texas Craft Brewers Festival in Austin is a great place to start. It’s a really kind, welcoming crowd, and it’s a great place to deep dive into the world of Texas craft beer. Learn more about attending the Texas Craft Brewers Festival here.
What To Know Before You Go
Before booking your tickets to the largest celebration of Texas craft beer, you should know some of the important details. If it’s your first time attending this beer fest, here are some of the relevant things you should know.
You Will Drink A Lot (Ride Share!!)
You just will. There are so many Texas breweries represented, and each one has a few samples to try. While you have a limited number of sample tokens available to you from your entry ticket, you have the option to purchase additional samples. And trust me…after a few hours in the Texas sun, those drinks start to add up.
All this to say: be smart and plan a ride share or have someone come pick you up. Plan in advance! Those beer samples are small, but after drinking a bunch of 7% IPA samples, it really adds up. Speaking of samples…
Tickets (Subject to Change)
Your entry ticket includes free beer samples. There are two types of tickets you can purchase, VIP and GA tickets. As of now, all VIP tickets are sold out, but you can still get Gen Ad tickets which cost $45 as of now. (But those who purchased those tickets early got an early bird discount at $40. So mark your calendar for next year!)
VIP entry is held at noon while the GA entrance is at 2 PM. The last call is at 6:15 PM and the festival closes at 6:30 PM. There is no refund for tickets. Texas Craft Brewers Festival is a STRICTLY 21+ EVENT (no exceptions).
Your entry ticket includes a tiny commemorative tasting cup and ten sample tickets. Each ticket equates to a 3-ounce pour (which ends up being 30 oz of beer, or about 2 pints…so it can add up if you’re drinking quickly.) The 10 sample tickets are applicable to both general admission and VIP ticket holders. The VIP ticket holders just get to enter the festival earlier before it gets packed and the lines get long. And they also get a take-home beer.
Location
The Texas Craft Brewers Festival is hosted at East Austin's Fiesta Gardens, located at 2101 Jesse E. Segovia St, Austin, Texas 78702. It’s a fun, albeit small, grassy area that’s fenced in for the festival. There are bathrooms available, street parking around the venue, and a central pavilion if you need some shade. The main entrance of the event is at the corner of Chicon St., and Nash Hernandez Senior Rd.
Transportation
This was mentioned before, but definitely try to arrange some sort of ride share or ask a friend to pick you up. Texas Craft Brewers Fest also offers DD tickets for just $20, and those include complimentary NA beverages. So if you have a friend who’s not into drinking, invite them along for company and ask them to be your DD!
Parking
If you do plan to drive yourself, there is free but very limited street parking near Fiesta Gardens and Lady Bird Lake. Don’t park on the residential streets, be sure to respect your Austin neighbors, and don’t block any driveways.
A Festival For Beer & Music
The Texas Craft Brewers Festival this year will include more than 70 independent Texas craft brewers! Such an exciting event in Texas, and it happens right here in Austin! You can sample almost 200 unique craft beers, enjoy live music and entertainment, and enjoy some fun bites of food.
The Texas Craft Brewers Guild, a non-profit trade organization dedicated to growing the Texas craft brewing sector through advocacy and education, organizes this annual largest beer festival.
Beer Selection
If you’re wondering exactly which beers will be represented there…you’ll just have to get a ticket and attend the beer festival to find out. It will definitely be beer (no seltzers, wine, or other beverages) and all craft (no big brands here.) The breweries bring their A-game, which means that sometimes they’ll provide their best sellers, and other times they’ll tap some fun, seasonal beers that no one else has been able to try yet.
Also, this is a great festival to explore breweries around Texas that you haven’t heard of. Texas is a HUGE state with lots of tiny towns, and there are breweries tucked into the towns you never knew about. Even if you’re a big beer nerd, you’ll learn about some new breweries and taste some fun new brews at the Texas Craft Brewers Festival. Expect to taste ales, lagers, porters, stouts, pilsner, and others!
Prepare For Lines And Wait Times
This is an Austin festival, y’all. There will be waiting times. Embrace the wait, enjoy your brews, and make a new friend. Definitely expect long lines at this beer festival! But know that it’s all worth it, and you’re going to have an amazing time.
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