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Spokane Lilac Festival Brewfest celebrates third year in the U.S. Pavilion

Uprise is one of dozens of breweries taking part in the Spokane Lilac Festival Brewfest. (KATHY PLONKA/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
By Megan Dhein For The Spokesman-Review

On Saturday, Spokane Lilac Festival Association is hosting its third annual Spokane Lilac Festival Brewfest, which will feature over 30 local and regional breweries, as well as live music from Snacks at Midnight.

Adriana Berndt, Spokane Lilac Festival Association executive director, described the event as a community building effort.

“We recognized that there was a need for a brewfest, especially since Spokane is becoming such a wonderful craft brewery city and our region is growing in its craft breweries,” Berndt said of the event sponsored by Edible Inland Northwest. “We saw a hole, so we thought what better way to continue to get the community together, get them into downtown, especially on parade day.”

This year, the event will take place at the Pavilion in Riverfront Park. Tickets purchased in advance will cost $35 for general admission, which gets you into the event at 1 p.m. and comes with seven beer tokens and a glass, or $50 for VIP admission, which allows early access at noon, 10 beer tokens and a glass. Tickets at the door cost $40 for general admission and $55 for VIP.

The Armed Forces Torchlight Parade will follow the Brewfest at 7:30 p.m. Berndt said the Brewfest was the brainchild of Sam Snow, Spokane Lilac Festival Association treasurer.

“One of our core parts of our mission is showcasing our region and we think the breweries and wineries in our region are a big part of that,” Snow said. “We wanted to bring light on them and help them share their beer with all of our community.”

The first year was rainy and had about 600 attendants, but last year attracted 1,400, Snow said. The Brewfest is 21 and over, and is not pet-friendly. Attendants will receive a wristband that will allow them re-entry, should they choose to exit. Designated drivers will receive free entry.

Snow pointed out that there will be a grouping of food trucks nearby as part of the Expo ’74 celebration.

Breweries included in the event are Badass Backyard Brewing, Bardic Brewing & Cider, Bellwether Brewing, Black Label Brewing, Bottle Bay Brewing, Brick West Brewing, Cursed Brewing, For the Love of God Brewing, Garland BrewWerks, Genus Brewing, Hat Trick Brewing, Hop Chaos Brewing, Humble Abode Brewing, Inland Ale Works, Iron Goat Brewing, Jeremiah Johnson Brewing, Lumberbeard Brewing, Natural 20 Brewing Co., No-Li Brewing, No Drought Brewing, Oddstock Cider Co., Paradise Creek Brewery, Perry Street Brewing, Precious Things, Rogue Ales & Spirits, Spokanite Brewing, TT’s Old Iron Brewery & BBQ, The Grain Shed, Uprise Brewing Co., Wheel Line Cider, Whistle Punk Brewing and YaYa Brewing.