The annual Newmarket Community Craft Beer and Beverage Festival will feature more than 35 beverage and gourmet food vendors, with a mix of artisan craft beers and non-alcoholic drinks, at Fairy Lake on June 21 and 22.
“The festival is an event where our goal is to promote craft,” said Michelle Planche, director of Community Craft Beer Festivals. “Small batch, craft-produced products. Some of them are in our backdoor. These are all products in Ontario and you get to meet the producer behind it.”
Local craft beer vendors, including Old Flame Brewery, The George Brewery, and Red Thread Brewing, will be featured with breweries from the Greater Toronto Area.
“It’s a great way to showcase some of the breweries around the area and further away,” said Mike D’Angela, owner of The George. “We get breweries from Whitby, Scarborough, and some from out west. It is nice to see the variety of breweries come to town.”
The George offers light beers, pilsners, vienna lagers, sours, IPAs, strawberry daiquiris, and cream soda beers. Participants will be able to try some offerings from The George and can make their way to the establishment on 236 Main St. afterwards.
“I think we are going to bring the trailer around, so there will probably be around five or six available to sample,” said D’Angela. “We are there for people to try the beer. We are on the street. We usually pick up some people after the beer fest. I notice a number of them seem to wander over to The George.”
The price of tickets varies for convenience. A VIP experience pass for $45 includes early admission for Friday and Saturday and a $10 food voucher.
A general admission ticket for Friday and a food voucher cost $30, and a general admission ticket cost $20 without a food voucher.
A general admission ticket for Saturday and a food voucher cost $35, and a general admission ticket cost $25 without a food voucher. Children under 19 can enter the event for free.
The idea of a non-alcoholic component makes the festival inclusive for everyone.
“A lot of people still want to go out and enjoy festivals but not everyone wants the alcohol,” said Planche. “We have right now three different types of non-alcoholic beer, we’re going to have mocktails and all the regular sparkling water available. This is the first year we have done a non-alcoholic section.”
According to the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis, there are 414 businesses in the Ontario craft beer industry, of which 339 are locally established brick-and-mortar craft brewers.
There are 4.5 times as many companies producing craft beer in Ontario in 2022 as there were 10 years ago in 2012. Bricks-and-mortar craft breweries employ 14 people on average and have invested more than $500 million in Ontario in the past decade. Planche finds it important to support local establishments.
“We had this big moment of understanding what (local) businesses were during the pandemic,” said Planche. “We don’t want to stop supporting them. We want to continue to support them. Small batch producers don’t have as much money for marketing and they don’t have as much money to get their products out there. This is a great opportunity for them to meet clients.”
Beverages can be purchased with tokens for $2.50 each. A four-ounce pour of beer cost one ticket while an eight-ounce pour cost two tokens. A three-ounce pour of wine costs two tokens while a six-ounce pour costs four tokens.
There will be pizza, tacos, and poutine available to satisfy your cravings while you wash it down with beer, spirits, cider, and wine for a cool finish.
D’Angela finds it necessary to include a variety of beverages other than beer at the event.
“You want to have a variety of options for people and I’m fine with that,” said D’Angela. “Not everyone’s taste is beer. Some people's taste is wine, and some people’s taste is cocktail drinks. That is all fine. Anything that is craft made I’m fine with.”
The main stage of the event will feature live music performances throughout the day while local artists set on an acoustic stage for an intimate show. Interactive games will be available too. Pets are welcome at the event.
Proceeds from the event will be donated to Newmarket Food Pantry and Newmarket Soccer Club. NewMakeIt will also be selling pottery mugs in support of the charities.
For more information about the event or to purchase tickets, visit www.communitycraftbeerfest.com.
