Festivalgoers at the Canberra Craft Beer and Cider Festival, now in its 18th year. Photo: Supplied.
The Canberra Craft Beer and Cider Festival, which will take place on 15 March 2025 at the historic Mercure Canberra, has opened ticket sales.
The Schwartz Family Company, which runs the festival and has the largest privately owned hotel portfolio in Australia, is hoping to boost the struggling hospitality sector.
“This year’s event will provide a shot in the arm for Canberra’s events and hospitality industry and would be particularly welcomed by craft brewers,” says event organiser Jenny Farrell.
“Canberra has such a dynamic craft brewing scene, but like many other cities in Australia, the sector is struggling, so we hope the festival will give it a boost.”
Delivering on their promise that the 2025 event will be the biggest in the festival’s 18-year history, there will be more than 40 local and interstate drinks exhibitors showcasing a wide array of craft brews.
The event’s largest-ever lineup of brewers will allow festivalgoers to taste beers from the Canberra region and further afield. Brewers attending include The Coastal Brewing Company, Good Folk Brewing, Stone Dog Meadery, Jervis Bay Brewing Co, Cypher Brewing Co, Broulee Brewhouse, Wooden Axe Brewing, Spreyton Cider, and the Schwartz-owned Sydney Brewery, among many others.
More than 40 craft breweries and other exhibitors will attend the 2025 Canberra Craft Beer and Cider Festival. Photo: Supplied.
In addition to the breweries producing craft beer and cider, this year’s event will also branch out to incorporate distilled beverages with exhibitors such as local distillers Ambrosia Distillery, as well as Loose Blue Mountains Liquor Co, the first distillery in Australia to produce and commercially release sugar-free liqueurs, which are keto-diet friendly.
To accommodate all of the exhibitors, the streets surrounding the Braddon hotel will be closed to allow for foot traffic only. Always keen to be a child at heart, company director Jerry Schwartz has been known to dress in costume for the event, especially Batman, in honour of Batman Street, where the festival primarily takes place.
“What makes the festival very special is the relaxed street-style setting. It’s a great opportunity for friends to come together and enjoy some of the best craft beers, ciders and spirits in a very chilled atmosphere,” says Jenny Farrell.
With over 14 hotels in the Schwartz Family Company portfolio, the Schwartz team is all too aware of the cost-of-living crisis and doesn’t want it to affect people’s ability to attend the 2025 event.
“We know there are cost-of-living pressures, so we have kept ticket prices at affordable rates and introduced a special student discount, acknowledging the number of tertiary students that are based in Canberra at the time of the festival,” explains Jenny.
Get in early for your chance to win a $1250 prize pack. Photo: Supplied.
Tickets cost $35 per adult and $25 per student and include one drink valued at $8. Entry is free for accompanied children under 18. Entertainment runs from 2 pm to 6 pm, with local band H-Cee Family plus family entertainment and an eating competition.
As an event first and to encourage early bookings, everyone who buys a ticket before 15 February will be entered into the draw to win a prize package worth more than $1250. The prize includes a two-night accommodation package for two for the weekend of the festival, a $100 festival drinks card, a $150 voucher for dinner at Bentspoke Brewery the night before the festival, a cocktail glass and two bottles of spirits from Ambrosia Distillery, two cases of beer from Sydney Brewery and a range of special merchandise.
To find out more about the festival and to book tickets, head to the Canberra Craft Beer and Cider Festival website.
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