In 2026, a lot of people are saying the traditional beer festival as we know it is DEAD.  And while I agree, I don’t ever want to wield a tiny plastic cup with ten sponsors scribed on it only to meet various beer reps pouring their most mainline IPA; “but come back at 1:34pm to get a special can pour of our latest triple hazy!” Ugh.

With a beer festival, I want to be dazzled by beer…I want to learn something new. I want to dance and simultaneously sit and hold a conversation with a brewer or a total random stranger. I want to leave the fest and feel glad I went. I don’t want hard kombucha, seltzer, mead, or cider getting in the way of my water, malt, hops, and yeast-made concoctions.

Whenever I talk about beer festivals, I inevitably fall back to the Tim and Eric bit where they talk about the universe

Since starting this blog fifteen years ago, I’ve attended seven or eight festivals a year, which puts me around a hundred during this time. Some were very memorable, some I left after an hour. I’ve done huge invitationals like Firestone Walker, some on the east coast, and hell, I’ve even hosted my own cask ale festival nearly ten times.

Here are five festivals I haven’t yet been to, but plan on it:

Kriek & Lambic Festival – Belgium

Organized by the Gueuze Society, is just what you’d expect. Every other year, a thousand or so bottles are de-corked and caged, placed in a lambic basket, and drizzled festively into glassware, some even landing on the historic cobblestone street below.

Why I want to go: My last trip to Brussels in 2024 was very short, and although I got to try the greatest hits, I’d like to dive deeper into traditional Lambic culture. As fewer “sour” beers in the U.S. are being produced, it would be heartwarming for me to go back and sample directly from the blenders literally fighting extinction.

Fynefest – Scotland

Think Scottish Highlands, rain, mud, mountains, and ale. It’s all part of a magical Scottish brewing revival story, where I couldn’t be stopped from singing the hills are alive from the Sound of Music whilst prancing around (even though that’s Austrian lol). The fest lasts a weekend, and camping on the grounds is permitted. There’s panels, live music, ____________

Why I want to go: I haven’t been to Scotland, for starters, but I’m a huge fan of Highland and Islay Scotch. I want to see what the resurgence of Scotch craft beer can tell me about the country, other than shilling-based pub ales and Wee Heavies.