The Michigan Brewers Guild has announced changes to its popular Michigan Summer Beer Festival. This year’s one-day event will be held from 1-6pm on Saturday, June 13 at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti’s Historic Depot Town. The move is attributed to the large sold-out concerts being held at Michigan Stadium in nearby Ann Arbor during the last weekend of July, when the Guild would normally host its festival.
“This decision is best for the festival our brewery members, attendees and our staff,” notes MBG Executive Director Scott Graham. "The date change and other new features will be refreshing for the festival.”
Tickets for Michigan Summer Beer Festival are on sale now at MiBeer.com for $60 each (the price increases to $70 the day of the festival). A limited number of VIP Tickets will be available for $80 in advance ($90 the day of the festival), which includes early entry at Noon. The list of participating breweries (and the beers they’ll be sampling) is available here: Summer Beer Festival Sampling List.
The big stage headliner for the musical portion of this year’s festival is Spitalfield (4-5:30pm) with Loud Fox Cult (1:30-2pm) and Pretty Jane (2:15-3:30pm) opening up.
Other notable changes to the festival include:
- No Tokens! Due to legislative changes, MBG no longer needs to exchange tokens for beer samples at its festivals. Overall sampling continues to be limited by our commitment to safe and responsible alcohol consumption.
- This is a cashless event…you may use a debit or credit card to purchase tickets at the gate, food or merchandise, but no cash will be exchanged.
- Enhanced Enthusiast Member Program. MBG's Enthusiast Membership is now managed with a new MI Beer Fan app. The app streamlines the system and enhances communication with members. The cost is $35 per year and includes early admission to all MBG festivals including an Enthusiast Membership Tent featuring hand-selected beer samples exclusively available to members.
- Makers Market featuring local artists and artisans with books, jewelry, men’s beard grooming products, and other items.
- An ever-evolving selection of local food vendors and food trucks including Sweet and Sticky BBQ, Side Biscuit, Señors, and Der Wurstwagen.
- In partnership with International Bigtime Wrestling, there will be four 30-minute exhibitions taking place throughout the day starting at 1:15pm, 2:30pm, 3:45pm and 5pm.
As with all MBG festivals, this is an outside event that will be held rain or shine. Attendees must be 21 to enter, with a valid ID required. All sales are final, no refunds under any circumstances. The FAQ page of the Guild’s website will provide answers to other often asked questions.
The Michigan Brewers Guild was formed in 1997 and held its first festival in July 1998. Today, the Guild hosts four festivals dedicated exclusively to Michigan beer produced by its nearly 300 member breweries.
The Michigan Brewers Guild is the network of innovative and passionate brewers that serves as the recognized advocate for the Michigan craft beer industry. Michigan’s thriving brewing industry contributes more than 17,000 full-time jobs and $700 million in labor income / wages, with a total economic impact of over $2.4 billion. In terms of overall number of breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs, Michigan ranks #6 in the nation—supporting its title as “The Great Beer State.”