Beloved outdoor summer festival boasts international and craft beer, food, live music and more in three-day entertainment extravaganza at Exhibition Place
Mark the calendar, as Toronto’s Festival of Beer presented by The Beer Store, is proud to be back and celebrating 25+ years of the festival. With more than 400 brews, bubbles and more for patrons to slake their thirst while they soak in the summer sun, the #TOBeerFest runs July 22nd – 24th at Bandshell Park, Exhibition Place, Toronto.
This year’s entertainment line-up includes Grammy-award winner hip hop headliner, NAS live on the BET99 Bandshell Stage on Friday July 22nd, followed by Canadian indie darlings, Sam Roberts Band and The Strumbellas on Saturday June 23rd; US indie rockers The Revivalists and Canada’s alt-country hero Matt Mays both take the stage on Sunday June 24th to close out the weekend.
“We are so thrilled to be back with what will undoubtedly be the best year ever,” said Les Murray, president, Toronto’s Festival of Beer. “This year’s line-up showcases a spectacular selection of both locally produced brews and international offerings. Guests may meet & greet many of the passionate brewers, sample new and award-winning products with tasty food pairings, visit the Spotlight pavilions for the latest and best, and discover their next favourite beer, all while enjoying an unparalleled musical line-up. It’s quite simply, the do-not-miss summer festival.”
From famous to start-ups, from craft to collectives
The official list of participating brewers, distillers and food vendors serving at the 2022 edition include:
8.6 | Ace Hill | Amsterdam Brewery | Athletic Brewing | Avling Brewery | Balderdash Brewing | Big Rock Beer | Brickworks Cider | Broadhead Brewing | Bud Light | Burger Priest | Carib | Carlsberg | Catapult Brewing | Cerveza Tona | Charlotteville Brewing | Collective Arts | Cool Beer | Corona | Cottage Springs | Cowbell Brewing | Craig’s Cookies | Flying Monkey’s Craft Brewery | Founder’s Original | Good Lot | Good Neighbour Brewing | Goose Island | Great Lakes Brewery | Grey Matter Brewing | Guinness | Heirloom | Hotdog Al | Hunger Rescue Pizza | Jack Daniel’s | Juice Box Beer | Karbon Brewing | Kronenburg | La Marquesita | Left Field Brewery | Lion Brewing | Marton Fine Brews |Matt and Steve’s | McClelland Premium Imports | Meltwich | Midtown Brewing |Mike’s Hard Lemonade | Mill St. | Molson Coors | MVP Brewing | Nickelbrook | Northern Maverick | Old Credit | Ontario Corn Roasters | Oyster Boy | Palm Bay | Parson’s Brewing |Paulaner Weisse | Poutine Supreme | Puppers | Shillow Beer | Singha Lager | Sleeman | Smirnoff | Somersby | Something in the Water | Steam Whistle | Stock and Row | Sweet Water Brewing | The Second Wedge | Thornbury Village | Tiny Tom Donuts | Town Brewery | Together We’re Bitter | Vice Spirits | Walter’s Craft Caesar | Wellington Brewery | White Water Brewing | Wrinkly Bear Brewing | Xhale Brewing.
In addition, Toronto’s Festival of Beer is hosting number of compelling and intriguing initiatives this year. These include TFOB Spotlights focused on the Brews of Prince Edward County, the trending culinary and beverage destination du jour in Ontario featuring new products from Parson’s Brewing, Marton Fine Brews, Midtown Brewing and more, and The Changemakers, a category dedicated to craftspeople currently creating compelling change both within their community, and for their industry.
Each spotlight represents something unique about the business of beer and/or a unique destination producing great beer. Guests may sample brews in each of these pavilions, in addition to the hundreds of other options available through Bandshell Park. New this year is a complimentary non-alcoholic beer tasting area, for those who choose not to imbibe yet want to experience the festival’s energy and excitement.
Committed to creating positive change
Meet The Changemakers. new to this year’s festival, including Charlottesville Brewing of Norfolk, a husband and wife team classically trained in France, now committed to sustainable brewing and farming on their land and pledged to paying employees a living wage. Xhale Brewing of Calgary is 100 per cent female and queer owned, working with addiction and recovery in the industry through the creation of a collaboration brew raising funds for overdose support. Grey Matter in Kincardine, Ontario is committed to Black Lives Matter, with a town mural painted to highlight inclusion, as well as support for Indigenous communities through Orange Shirt Day events. Shillow Brewing in Ottawa, Ontario is the only Kosher craft brewery in the province run by Orthodox Jews and a female brew master, while TWB in Kitchener, Ontario runs on a cooperative owner/operator worker model. Good Neighbor in Winnipeg, Manitoba is actively working to create safer working and gathering spaces for community members; Good Lot from Alton, Ontario is raising awareness for a variety of local causes and organizations, and The Second Wedge in Uxbridge, Ontario, who recently suffered a devastating property loss on the May long weekend, are all shining examples of family- and community-minded leaders effecting change, all with a compelling story to tell and a good brew to showcase.
“TFOB is once again committed to showcasing industry positivity, and we are working to redevelop policies and procedures to address any issues that brewery personnel face that stem from discrimination and racism,” added Jodie Becker, senior production manager, Toronto’s Festival of Beer.
“We’re working with an app called #NOTME to provide guests an opportunity to speak with festival staff in real-time to report any potential concerns; our values have always been focused on zero tolerance, and this revamp will really bring this energy to the forefront of the conversation, to ensure that TFOB is as always, a safe space for all.”
Toronto’s Festival of Beer sells out every year — patrons are encouraged to buy tickets now on sale at www.beerfestival.ca. Tickets range from $65 for General Admission – $150 (plus fees) for VIP Club TFOB tickets; details are available on the website. Gates open from 4 PM Friday, and 1 PM Saturday and Sunday (early admission is granted to Hoptimized and Club TFOB ticket holders). Toronto’s Festival of Beer is a 19+ years event; please enjoy responsibly. Note: COVID-19 protocols including proof of vaccination, contact tracing and mask policies may be in place at the time of the event.
