On August 19, the Chesapeake Crab and Beer Festival comes to the National Harbor, and it may be the most awesome food festival this summer!
If you love eating Maryland crab and drinking tasty craft beers, then you need to attend the Chesapeake Crab and Beer festival this weekend. This is being billed as the world's largest crab feast. The festival is going to have two sessions. The first session will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and then once vendors have a chance to steam up some more crabby goodness, the second session will run from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at night. Thirsty? There are going to be 50 craft beer brewers and local vineyards on hand for unlimited tastings. There will even be a few local craft distillers on hand to provide taste samples of their liquor as well. Breweries include Bold Rock, Guinness, White Claw, Mike's Hard Lemonade, Shock Top, Shiner, Sierra Nevada, Rogue, Goose Island Beer Co., Sweetwater, Starr Hill, Magic Hat Brewing Company, and many others. View the full list of breweries here. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="3175,3174"] Hungry? The Chesapeake Crab and Beer Festival promises that 65,000 crabs will be eaten on Saturday. Think about the sheer size of that. VIP ticket holders will get to taste as many different types of crabs as they want. There are lower ticket options that include six free crabs or beer-only tickets that allow visitors to purchase crabs ale-carte. Children's tickets are all-you-can-eat. If you don't want to go for the VIP ticket, or want to buy more crabs, they will be available ala-carte for $35 a half dozen. There will be other food options available for sale ala-carte, though the festival is stressing that there will be no vegetarian or vegan options.
Once your belly's full, you can sit back and enjoy non-stop live music from local bands. The event promises thousands of tables and chairs, with large tents for the entertainment.
Beer-only tickets start at $39. These tickets provide unlimited alcohol tasting but crabs will have to be purchased. Designated Drivers can purchase crab-only tickets for $59, but can only be purchased in advance. The next ticket level provides unlimited beer and six crabs all for $59 if purchased in advance, basically $15 off the first half dozen crabs.
But for the real crab and beer aficionados, the VIP ticket offers unlimited food and drink tastings, including exclusive taste offerings only available to VIP ticket-holders. These tickets go for $89 in advance and $95 on-site. It is important to note that there are no more VIP tickets available for the evening session, so if this sounds up your alley, take action before the first session is sold out as well.
The Chesapeake Crab and Beer Festival will take place at 300 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD 20745. For more information and to purchase advance tickets, visit the festival's website here!
Will you be attending the festival? What are you looking forward to the most? Let us know in the comments.
