25th Annual Great Canadian Beer Festival Returns on September 8 and 9

July 20, 2017

Craft beer lovers! Mark your calendars: The 25th Annual Great Canadian Beer Festival (GCBF) returns to Victoria on September 8 and 9 with ticket sales starting this Saturday, July 22 at 9 am. The GCBF is a non-profit society that aims to introduce consumers to new brews as well as to raise awareness of craft brewing in the local community and beyond.

We had a great time attending this a couple of years back and it’s a wonderful way to check out some of your faves as well as to sample new beers on the scene.

This is Canada’s longest-running craft beer festival! The inaugural GCBF took place in 1993 at the Victoria Conference Centre with 2,000 attendees. The event’s grown to cover two days at Royal Athletic Park, a venue that can host up to 9,000 thirsty fans.

New this year, the Friday night session will run an hour later to allow those just getting off of work a chance to enjoy more festival time. You can’t go wrong sipping craft beer at the end of the week with the setting sun as a backdrop.

2017’s festival will host booths for 66 breweries and two cideries; that’s over 240 beers and ciders. Another new addition this year is The Drake Eatery Cask Tent, introducing eight additional breweries serving unique cask beer.

A variety of local food vendors will again be on-site, together with live entertainment featuring bands, buskers and more!

25th Annual Great Canadian Beer Festival

Dates: September 8, 4 to 9 pm; September 9, noon to 5 pm
Venue: Royal Athletic Park, 1014 Caledonia Ave, Victoria
Tickets: $40 per person (plus fees). Price includes a taster mug and program.
Tokens: Beer tokens available on site for $1.50 per four-ounce taster (**cash only**)