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Between cancellations, postponements and lower-than-expected attendance, it’s been a tough few years for fans of beer festivals and the people who run them. However, this time we come bearing good news for both: Two events have announced their return in 2024.
Today, Bend Brewfest announced it would return to its original location in the Hayden Homes Amphitheater, though on new dates: Oct. 3-5 instead of May.
Like every large-scale public celebration in the state, Bend Brewfest was called off in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. It made a post-COVID return in 2022 at a different site—the east side of the Deschutes River along the waterfront trail directly behind the Old Mill District outdoor mall while the amphitheater was being renovated. Construction should have been completed in 2023 but fell behind, and the event’s planners decided not to host the festival in the temporary location for a second year.
“The amphitheater space is a more enjoyable experience for all parties involved,” the festival statement read on social media this past January, “and organizers want to wait until Brewfest can return to where it had been held annually since 2002.”
That means drinkers will get to return to the amphitheater for the first time since 2019. Bend Brewfest is also poised to become Oregon’s largest craft beer celebration given the all-but-dead status of the Oregon Brewers Festival, which was traditionally held at Portland’s Tom McCall Waterfront Park. During previous years, the three-day Central Oregon event has drawn more than 40,000 attendees.
“The Bend Brewfest is back home,” Beau Eastes, the Old Mill District’s marketing director, stated in a press release. “We’re confident the festival will be better than ever while staying true to what local craft beer enthusiasts have come to expect and enjoy.”
As for its move to October, Hayden Homes Amphitheater food and beverage manager Phil Phifer stated that holding the fest during Central Oregon’s shoulder season will make it easier (and more appealing) to attend.
During its relaunch, Bend Brewfest will remain committed to its mission to support local organizations with proceeds from ticket sales. Since its founding more than 20 years ago, the event has raised more than $100,000 for nonprofits.
Both drinkers and brewers should keep your eye on the Bend Brewfest website. Organizers say they’ll release the vendor application online in the coming weeks. A tap list should then follow—in the past, that’s been up to 200 beers, ciders, wines and other fermented beverages.
“We hope this announcement gets some delicious, creative juices flowing at breweries all over the Pacific Northwest,” Eastes added. “Come October, they’re going to have a huge, thirsty crowd eagerly waiting to see what they’ve come up with. We cannot wait.”
Meanwhile, a much smaller festival but one that is beloved among Portland beer nerds, also shared on social media this week that it would be returning next year. NW Coffee Beer—formerly known as NW Coffee Beer Invitational—is headed back to the historic Goose Hollow Inn on Saturday, Jan. 27. It last took place at that venue that same month in 2020—one of the last beer events to be held before the March pandemic lockdown.
The reboot will be slightly smaller than years past—instead of 20 breweries, you can expect 12. But most, if not all, should be great sippers. The festival was known for drawing stellar beers made in collaboration by Oregon coffee roasters and brewers.
As usual, the pouring stations will be set up in a tent outside of Goose Hollow Inn and Loggers Daughter is scheduled to perform live music. Check the restaurant’s website or the NW Coffee Beer Facebook page for tap list updates.