4 reasons you need to head to the Whistler Village Beer Festival

Canada’s West Coast is renowned for its awe-inspiring beauty, mountainous terrain, and of course, the ever-expanding and always-inventive craft beer scene.

We’d never turn down the excuse to go to a festival, better yet a craft beer-inspired festival. (And honestly, who would?)

From September 9 to 15, the Whistler Village Beer Festival will be taking over Whistler for seven entire days of festival-goer fun (and you don’t necessarily need to be a beer lover to enjoy it).

It’s the perfect opportunity to swap the bustle of the city for the fresh mountain air, enjoy festival vibes and food trucks, and listen to plenty of live music. If we haven’t sold you on it already, here’s why you need to head to the Whistler Village Beer Festival.

The beer, of course

Now bigger and better than ever and in its seventh year, the festival will feature over 70 breweries where guests can try more than 140 craft beers and ciders. The huge number of adult beverages on offer means you’ll likely come across a beer or cider you haven’t tried before.

The festival’s main event at Whistler Olympic Plaza is on for two days, so you will have plenty of time to sample as many brews as you can (at your own pace, obviously). With the open space of Whistler’s Olympic Plaza filled with a fun atmosphere and live music all weekend, and Whistler and Blackcomb mountains providing a picturesque backdrop, you’ll have a brand new experience of craft beer festivals.

The best part is, the festival will go ahead rain or shine! Ain’t nobody going to let some bad weather ruin the fun.

Can’t-miss events

Is beer really not your thing? No problem. You can still hit up the Whistler Village Beer Festival and have an unforgettable experience by attending one or more of the exciting events taking place.

There’s something for everyone, whether you’re interested in the food trucks, food pairing dinners, unique cask nights, beer yoga, and even forged axe throwing. Yes, axe throwing. (Just go easy on the beers if you’re going to do that, of course.)

Head over to the Audain Art Museum on September 10 and indulge in tasty food prepared by local chefs at Craft Cultures: Sea, Land, Sky. This immersive sensory experience gives you the chance to discover the arts within Whistler and taste some local craft beers if you like.

On September 13, the Longhorn Saloon will be hosting the Master Crafters: Haze Craze event where you can see breweries face-off in the ultimate showdown: a hazy brew blind taste-test. All branding will be stripped from the brews and you can try samples of each unidentified hazy beer before casting your vote for who you think should be crowned the winner.

Once the sun sets, get among fellow attendees and hit up the after parties and bar-hopping events. These are held over the five mid-week days leading up to the main event, and they are a great opportunity to experience even more of the cool happenings at Whistler Village Beer Festival.

Live music

At the Whistler Village Beer Festival, you can expect a full musical line-up featuring artists, with something for every genre preference. This includes Canada’s rock band Lucky Monkey, the funk and riff-driven Small Town Artillery, the soulful Small Town Artillery, and brass powerhouse duo Old Soul Rebel.

BC DJs Smoothie and Drew Crome will be spinning tracks during Live in the House, five-piece group Blame The Weekend will also be performing, as well as rockers Red Chair. Because of course, it’s not a festival without live music.

Stay where the action is

We love this part! There’s no need to decide who has to stay sober and be the designated driver, and that’s because you can leave the car at home, or simply park it at the hotel and walk.

The events taking place during Whistler Village Beer Festival are located right in the heart of Whistler Village, meaning everything is just a short walk away. We’re talking about food, drinks, festival events – everything.

Whistler is easily one of the most beautiful places in Canada, so why not take the opportunity to extend your stay for the weekend and explore the area for longer? Now you can do so with two-night stays from just $139 per night.

The Whistler Village Beer Festival is just one of the many things to check out. Hang out by the lake, go mountain-biking, ride the Peak 2 Peak Gondola, or go hiking on the many trails while you’re there. You won’t regret a thing.

For more information about the Whistler Village Beer Festival and to book your accommodation, visit Whistler.com.

Whistler Village Beer Festival 2019

When: September 9 to 15

Where: Whistler Village

Price: From $35 – Tickets available online

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