I put together a list of beer festivals that you should consider marking on your calendar ahead of time. Rest assured that ‘Beer Country’ will follow up with specific information regarding individual festivals as we get closer to them.

The 19th Annual Legendary Boonville Beer Festival (May 2nd)- This one is just around the corner. Every beer loving festival fan should attend this event at least once. Camping out in Mendocino County for the weekend will surely add to the experience. Purchase your tickets now by clicking on https://avbc.com/happenings/the-legendary-boonville-beer-festival/

Sonoma County Home Brewer’s Competition (May 23rd)- A first year festival taking place in Petaluma. This event will feature some of the best home brewers in the county. The grand prize winner will receive the opportunity to brew a batch of their award winning recipe at 101North Brewing Company. http://www.petalumadowntown.com/schbc.html

Beerfest- The Good One (June 6th)- Beer from over 50 breweries will be poured at this annual event taking place on the lawn of the Wells Fargo Center. Attendees will receive a commemorative glass and unlimited samples of beer. http://www.beerfestthegoodone.com/

Breastfest (July 18th)- This year the festival will take place at the Marin Center on the Fairgrounds Island. All the Proceeds from the event will benefit Oakland’s Charlotte Maxwell Clinic, an award-winning non-profit women’s health provider. http://thebreastfest.org/

Russian River Beer Revival (August 15th)- The 13th annual event takes place at Stumptown Brewery in Guerneville. The official tag line is “If you can’t have fun at this one…you can’t have fun”. Tickets go very fast. Last year, online tickets sold out in a matter of minutes. The price of admission includes unlimited beer, cider and BBQ tastings. The website has not been updated yet, but keep your eyes and ears peeled because tickets for this event go on sale in early June. http://www.stumptown.com/revival/

Lagunitas Beer Circus (August 16th)- Last year this event took place in June, but this year it moves to August 16th. Expect acrobats, bearded women, a burlesque show and a lot of beer. Tickets will go on sale on July 9th and sell out very quickly. Make sure to purchase early to guarantee your entry. https://lagunitas.com/beercircus/

Ready, Set, Growl Beer Festival presented by Whole Foods Taproom (August 23rd)- The 2nd annual event will take place once again at Juilliard Park in Santa Rosa in conjunction with the Santa Rosa Marathon. Entry includes unlimited beer tastings and added perks such as food samples, a t-shirt and a growler, all for $45. Runners of the marathon may register for the beer festival at a discounted rate. http://www.thesantarosamarathon.com/#!ticket-purchase/c227h

Petaluma River Craft Beer Festival (September 12th)- This annual event takes place in Downtown Petaluma at the riverfront. Twenty local breweries will be participating. $40 gets you a souvenir glass and ten tickets for beer and/or food tastings. http://petalumarivercraftbeerfest.org/

Three more festivals to watch for later this year:
Cloverdale Oktoberfest- Details TBD
Beer In the Plaza (Healdsburg)- Details TBD
NorCal Beer Geeks Beer Festival (Santa Rosa)- November 2015. Details TBD

-Peter Lopez Jr.

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