Okanagan Fest of Ale is celebrating 25 years of delicious craft beers in 2020, and this year’s festival will see it expand by 25 per cent to include more than 90 craft breweries, cideries and distilleries.
This year’s event returns to the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre and will be taking over the South Okanagan Events Centre next door to accommodate the massive beer festival, one of the largest in B.C.
“This is another record-breaking number of participants for us,” says John Cruickshank, Okanagan Fest of Ale Society President. “Of the participating breweries, many will be offering new seasonal releases, collaborations and beers created especially for the festival. The group is a nicely balanced mix of returning favourites, new, and soon to be up and running breweries from neighborhoods across the province and we can’t wait to welcome them to the Okanagan in April.”
Okanagan Fest of Ale takes place April 17 and 18 and will be “Kickin’ It Old School” with a retro theme harkening back to the festival’s first edition back in 1996.
Guests of the fest can expect local food with a craft beer twist, fun photo booths, onsite pop-up shops and live music. The Best Team Costume Contest is backs so dust off your best ‘90s gear and join the Fest of Ale for prizes and bragging rights.
Penticton was recently dubbed Canada’s Craft Beer Capital by the Lonely Planet travel guide, with Fest of Ale mentioned as an integral part of the brew culture in the Okanagan.
Operating as a non-profit society, The Okanagan Fest of Ale donates all net proceeds of the event back into the community. To date, the Fest of Ale has given $757,600 to local charities and not-for-profit societies operating in the South Okanagan.
Tickets to the event are available online at FestOfAle.ca. Ticket and accommodation specials can be found here. Regular single day admission is $29, while two-day weekend passes are $49.
