More than 70 breweries and cideries from across B.C. were tasked with pleasing thousands of beer lovers at one of Western Canada’s longest-running festivals on Saturday, April 13.
Okanagan Fest of Ale returned to the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre this weekend, with beer, music and food headlining the festivities.
“This is my favourite festival, and I do a lot of them,” said Darryn Shewchuk, director of sales and marketing at Revelstoke’s Mt. Begbie Brewing, a business that’s attended the event since its inception in the mid-1990s.
“Everyone’s always in a really good mood…super good vibe.”
Fest of Ale, which was holding its 27th annual event this weekend, brings together breweries for a celebration of the province’s growing craft beer scene.
The event features live music and other beverages like low-alcohol beer and hop water. A total of 210 brews were available for tastings.
“There’s a lot of fans that recognize us, know our beer and love us,” Shewchuk said. “And we love them…the people, that’s my favourite part of this.”
Fest of Ale was an indoors-only for its first 25 years before organizers were forced in April 2022 to bring it outside at Okanagan Lake Park amid pandemic-related restrictions.
The event returned indoors in 2023. This weekend, however, organizers unveiled the “Hopyard,” which served as an outdoor space with more beer and activities to enjoy.
“It’s a well-run event,” Shewchuk said. “With this, you can be inside or outside and the bands are always great, so it’s a really fun event.”
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