So, when is the Squamish Beer Festival?
It is Saturday, June 21, from 1 to 6 p.m.
And where?
At the McIntosh Loggers Sports Grounds, 39155 Loggers Lane.
It used to be at Junction Park, which is a tad smaller.
Ok, those are the basics need-to-knows, but we have some more juicy info:
FYI, The Squamish Beer Festival has been hosted in Squamish for almost a decade now- this is their ninth year running, but this year things are a little different.
Tidewater Projects’ event manager Marlee Eheler said that, after nine years, the festival is under new ownership with Squamish Events Collective.
Eheler also said this is the last year The Squamish Beer Festival will keep its name; it’ll be changing from next year to best reflect its ever-expanding content and expectations, because it seems people are coming for more than just the beer.
What’s going on?
There’s going to be an array of craft breweries, such as Whistler’s Coast Mountain Brewing and Richmond’s Fuggles Beer, alongside food vendors featuring delicious sweet treats, such as BeaverTails, and plentiful platters from Graze Wilder.
Furthermore, there’s going to be a lot of local talent showcasing their arts, crafts, and apparel; Bits and Keys’, and Electric Lady Vintage, to name a couple.
Taking to the stage—yes, spoiler alert, Eheler said there’s a big roll-out stage—there will be live music performances from the likes of alternative rock duo Old Soul Rebel, as well as Six Nations member, cultural story-teller, and folk and soul Juno Award nominee Logan Staats.
So indeed, it’s a little more than just a beer festival.
“The goal is to help expand the event community overall,” Eheler said.
“We're seeing less of a focus of people publicly drinking than we have in past years, so with a goal on expanding our tourism here in Squamish, and for other people to come into the Lower Mainland, we're looking to grow more opportunities for everybody to come and engage, even if they're not drinkers.”
So, how has the Squamish Beer Festival evolved exactly?
Regarding the switch of location, Eheler said that the festival had sold out at full capacity (1,100) for two years at Junction Park, before looking to expand its range of vendors and parking opportunities, including those for bikers.
As for the live music, they are all new acts this year, besides Old Soul Rebel, who have long-time Squamish fans, Eheler said.
“We've heavily increased our line-up and our talent offering,” she said.
“In the past, they've just had some vocal bands playing in the background, but we really shifted that focus this year, and we've brought in some amazing bands from all across Canada.”
Eheler explained, however, that the biggest thing that has expanded this year is the food vendor options.
“In the past, it's always been a bit of a wait to get food, so [attendees] usually just have a little bit to eat throughout, but with the drinking and weather, and just having people out wanting to enjoy everything B.C. has to offer, we've heavily increased our options; [now] we have charcuterie boards and little cookie companies coming out.”
The business market, like the arts and crafts, is new entirely; there will be 12 vendors in total.
Remember your ID
The beer festival remains a 19-plus event, though Eheler described the ages of attendees as a “pretty big range.”
Eheler noted that while attendees range widely in age—from their early twenties through mid-fifties—the largest demographic tends to fall between ages 25 and 55, among them die-hard beer enthusiasts, and other brewery followers, of course, but also music fans.
You can buy your tickets now, and see the full list of vendors and performers on the festival’s website.
Ina Pace is The Squamish Chief's Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) Reporter.
This reporting was produced through the LJI, which supports original civic journalism across Canada.
