Putting the fest back in beer fest
Below, I share the entertainment lineup, the brewery lineup, and the non-beer beverage lineup for this year’s Washington Brewers Festival, which takes place on June 20 and 21 at Seattle Center. But first…
Crawling from the fallout shelter
Over the long history of the Washington Brewers Festival, an event that originated in the 1990s, many things have changed. The very nature of a beer festival, for instance. Once upon a time, it was all about the beer, with little focus on the festival. Twenty years ago, beer lovers would gladly gather in a depressing bomb shelter, with too-quiet music piped in over a tin can PA system. If it meant we had access to all those beers, we didn’t care.
Literally, we did that a few times; the Exhibition Hall at Seattle Center hosted several beer fests and it really was a fallout shelter, as we cold war kids called ’em. Up until recently, craft beer drinkers were a small subset of a subset. In those days good beer was hard to find and a beer festival’s primary function was to provide access to good beer. By comparison, craft beer is now mainstream and ubiquitous.
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Today, the beer is still at the forefront, but festival organizers must lend more focus to the event surrounding the beer. Today’s festivalgoers are looking for experiences that include beer, not experiences that are beer. The Washington Brewers Guild, which organizes the Washington Brewers Festival, gets it.
Where craft beer needs to go, not where craft beer used to be
The beer will be spectacular, but so will the event surrounding the beer. The Washington Brewers Guild has put together a fun and intentional entertainment lineup, not to mention a more robust lineup of non-beer beverage options. The location, in the shadow of the Space Needle, is fabulous. Not at all a bomb shelter.
Last year the Washington Brewers Festival attracted a crowd that was younger and more diverse than the crowds we used to see at Marymoor Park, where the event took place for many years. The crowd better reflected where craft beer needs to go, not where craft beer once was. Although I am an oldtimer, I am also a realist and I recognize that craft beer needs to appeal to a younger, broader audience. I applaud the Washington Brewers Guild for making changes to modernize the Washington Brewers Festival. This year’s event sounds like it will be a blast!
Washington Brewers Festival
June 20 and 21 at Seattle Center.
21+ only.
Your ticket includes unlimited tastes.
Tickets and info here
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Entertainment Lineup
- SOS Pro Wrestling returns to WA Brewers Fest 2025 with two jam-packed shows, a full-sized ring, and more beer-fueled drama than your group chat. Catch the chaos Friday and Saturday—yup, two chances to cheer, gasp, and maybe spill a little beer.
- We’re pumped to welcome DJ Kevin Sur from KEXP to this year’s WA Brewers Fest! With deep roots in the Seattle music scene, he’s bringing a set that turns sunshine and sips into a full-on vibe. Killer beats. Cold beer. Perfect playlist.
- From campfire stages to festival spotlights, Artist Home brings the magic and we’re stoked to have them at WA Brewers Fest! Founded by Kevin Sur, they’re known for thoughtful curation, unforgettable performances, and that signature PNW music spark. Expect good tunes, good people, and that unmistakable Artist Home spark.
- Pink Boots Society Arm Wrestling. Expect costumes, comedy, and craziness as members of the Pink Boots Society throw it down old school.
- Who knows what else might happen? We don’t know what else the Guild might have up its sleeve.
Participating Breweries
- Anacortes Brewery
- Bale Breaker Brewing
- Barley POP! Brewing
- Beach Cat Brewing
- Big Block Brewing
- Big Time Brewing
- Bizarre Brewing
- Burke-Gilman Brewing
- Chuckanut Brewery
- Crucible Brewing
- Distant West Brewing
- Echoes Brewing
- Evergreen Brewing
- Elliott Bay Brewing
- Fair Isle Brewing
- Fast Fashion Brewing
- Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery
- Formula Brewing
- Four Generals Brewing
- Fremont Brewing
- Future Primitive Brewing
- Garden Path Fermentation
- Georgetown Brewing
- Ghostfish Brewing
- Haas Innovations Brewing
- Halcyon Brewing
- Hellbent Brewing
- Here Today Brewery & Kitchen
- Hildegard Ferments & Botanicals
- Holy Mountain Brewing
- Icicle Brewing
- ilk Beer
- Iron Horse Brewery
- Jellyfish Brewing
- Kulshan Brewing
- Ladd & Lass Brewing
- Larrabee Lager Company
- Logan Brewing
- Loowit Brewing
- Lumberbeard Brewing
- Matchless Brewing
- Metier Brewing Company
- Outer Planet Brewing
- Peace of Mind Brewing
- Project 9 Brewing
- Ravenna Brewing
- Remlinger Brewing
- Reuben’s Brews
- Rooftop Brewing/Maritime Pacific
- Silver City Brewery
- Snoqualmie Falls Brewery
- Stoup Brewing
- Structures Brewing
- Terramar Brewstillery
- The Outskirts Brewing
- Trap Door Brewing
- Uprise Brewing
- Urban Family Brewing
- Vice Beer
- Volition Brewing
- Walking Man Brewing
- Watts Brewing
- Well 80 Brewing
- Wheathead Brewing
Non-Beer Beverages
- Jötunn Ciderhouse
- Lost Lake Cider
- Offset Ciderworks
- Republic of Cider
- Seattle Cider Co
- Self Care – NA
- Slightly Furry Cider
- Thorntail Hard Agave
- Woodinville Ciderworks
- Yonder Cider
Visit our events page and calendar to learn about all sorts of other upcoming beer events.
