You can raise a glass to local brews this weekend at a Newmarket "microfest" celebrating Ontario breweries, cideries and spirits.
The Newmarket Craft Beer Winter Festival is March 25 to 27 at the Newmarket Legion at 707 Srigley St. with a bar, food, activities and live entertainment.
The three-day festival kicks off with an opening party featuring tasty tacos from the Aurora Armoury and live music from local musician Bernadette Connors. There will also be craft beer. The party starts at 6 p.m. and goes until 10 p.m Friday.
Tickets for this part of the festival are $40 per person.
On Saturday, March 26, you can get tickets for one of three three-hour sessions, which begin at noon and end at 10 p.m. These sessions cost $35. On Sunday, March 27 there are two three-hour sessions with the first beginning at 11 a.m. and the second from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tickets for these sessions are $30.
Included in your ticket price are two drink tokens for the beer bar, but you can also purchase more.
Both of these days will feature beer, as well as food, vendors, activities like cornhole and PlayPong, and more live music. There will also be outdoor seating available.
The star of the weekend is the beer, which includes beverages from Turkey Shoot Brewing Co., The George Brewing Co., Newark Brewing Co., Wellington Brewery, Paniza Brewing, Red Thread Brewing, Redline Brewhouse, Old Flame Brewing Co., Founder’s Original, and Ernest Cider Co., among others.
You must be 19 or older to attend. Organizers also reminder attendees to plan ahead for a safe ride home and have introduced a new solution to help with that. The Brew Bus is offering round-trip travel to the festival from the Aurora Go Station, Union Station, Vaughan TTC Station, and Ajax Go Station, however, the times and days each trip is available vary. Tickets must be purchased ahead of the festival and space is limited. The price ranges from $25 to $35 depending on the trip, however two additional drink tickets are included for Brew Bus passengers.
Tickets for the festival and for the bus must be bought online as there is no admission at the door.
