DC Beer Festival promises to be fun in the sun! Come enjoy tasty brews, music, food, fun and games Saturday at Nationals Park.
The
D.C. Beer festival goes down Saturday on the field of Nationals Park. The outdoor party is perhaps one of the best parties in the District as tens of breweries serve up the best seasonal brews and food trucks dish out tasty plates in the sunshine. Meanwhile DJ’s soundtrack the festivities, which include lots of lawn games.
Whether you enjoy microbrews or cider, DC Beer Festival has lots to choose from and try with the small tasting mugs. Over 80 craft breweries will be serving samples of 200 different brews and ciders, the festival is certain to have something for every taste bud. Many of the city’s best food trucks will be there to help patrons balance out their buzz and keep the party going during the two three hour tasting sessions, the first going from noon until 3:00 pm and the second from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. Thousands are expected to show up at this year’s DC Beer Festival, making for a true party atmosphere. Festival goers who have VIP tickets get in an hour earlier than everybody else and have the chance to attack the kegs without the lines.
Every year at DC Beer Festival, the perimeter of Nationals field is lined with brewery stands serving suds from all across the country. Some of the local brew companies that will be there include Bad Wolf Brewery of Manassas, Virginia’s Old Dominion Brewery and Port City Brewing Company of Alexandria. Mike’s Hard Lemonade is probably the only commercially known name brand of the brew companies on the bill. Of the 200 breweries, DC Beer Festival patrons will have the chance to sample several new breweries from all over the country as well as a host of tens of smaller lesser known breweries from the local area and beyond.
If you find that you have sipped a few too many too soon, you can take photos of the inside of the park and field, grab a bite from the food trucks, play games set up on the grounds or shake your groove thang to the live music and DJ’s cranking out the party tunes.
The lines can be expected to be long once the festival attendees pour in, but the variety and selection of the UNLIMITED tastings is enough to keep everybody happy. Small tastings cups are easy to fill quickly, so you don’t have to worry about getting your money’s worth. If you want to thoroughly enjoy the tasting, the VIP ticket is best. During the first hour, VIP ticket holders can calmly enjoy whichever brews they prefer without having to wait in lines which leaves more time to enjoy the rest of the festivities.
Tickets to both the noon-3:00pm and 5:00pm-8:00pm tasting sessions are selling for $45 per person per session. Food is not included in the admission price, so bring a little extra dough if you plan to have a bite while inside or waiting to get in outside. Designated driver tickets are also available for $20 cash at the gate. If you attend as a designated driver you can’t change your mind once inside the gates, DC Beer Festival event personnel will ask you to leave if you are caught sampling.
Nationals Park is Metro Accessible, and the closest Metro stop to Nationals Park is
Navy Yard Metro Station on the
green line. From Navy Yard Metro, use the Half Street and M Street SE exit, Nationals Park is a short 0.4 mile walk from the station.
