The Great American Beer Festival, scheduled for October 6- 8, 2016, is rated by many as the greatest beer festival in the United States and the world. Held at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver, this competitive event is a great way to discover new beers, sample beers not available where you live, and cheer your favorite brewery to a Gold, Silver, or Bronze victory.
Attending the Great American Beer Festival is part of most every beer lover’s bucket list and here at Great Beer Now, we have attended the festival multiple times, returning home all the wiser and more satisfied as a result. Getting to attend, however, is not always an easy feat and it has everything to do with supply and demand. Because the event is so popular and is growing more popular every year, the tickets tend to sell out quickly. You have to be prepared and ready to purchase tickets the moment they go on sale, lest they will sell out before your eyes.
To make sure you’re properly prepared, let’s go over some important information on GABF dates, ticket sales, etc:
- Date of Great American Beer Festival, 2016: October 6, 7, and 8 from 5:30 to 10:00 p.m. each day, with a special members’ only session on Saturday, October 8 between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.
- Ticket price: $80 per general session: $65 for the Saturday members only session
- Ticket limit: There is a 4 ticket limit per ticket buyer, per session
- Designated Drivers: Ticket price is $25 per session
- Ticket sale time: Tickets will go on sale starting on Wednesday, August 3 at 10 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time.
- Advanced ticket sales: For members of the American Homebrewers Association or Brewers Association, tickets will go on sale one day earlier, on Tuesday, August 2 at 10 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time.
Tickets to the Great American Beer Festival usually sell out quickly, often in a couple hours or less. This is why it is so important to keep the dates and times committed to memory and to be ready at 10 a.m. sharp on August 2 or 3 to logon and purchase your tickets. The most common mistakes people make are waiting too long to purchase the tickets and/or not realizing that the 10 a.m. purchase time refers to Mountain Time. Thus, you will have to adjust this to match your present time zone.
Click here to purchase Great American Beer Festival tickets
If you want to take advantage of the presale on August 2, then you have to become a member of the American Homebrewers Association or the Brewers Association. This all but guarantees there will be GABF tickets available for you to purchase on August 2. But please keep in mind that, if you plan to join one of these organizations, you must do so no later than July 24, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. You cannot wait until August 2 to join the AHA or BA. Your membership has to be purchased no later than July 24, 2016 to qualify for the presale.
Click here to join the American Homebrewers Association
Click here to join the Brewers Association
The Great American Beer Festival is something to behold and I have often said it’s an event that every beer lover should try to attend at least once in his/her lifetime. Securing tickets takes careful planning but is certainly within the reach of a diligent and determined attendee. Preparation is critical and interested ticket buyers need to be ready to go at the designated time.
GABF only comes around once per year, so set aside the necessary time on August 2 or 3, logon to Ticketmaster, and purchase your tickets to this, one of the premiere beer festivals in the world. The Denver area is a great place to be in the early fall season and with more than 800 breweries serving beer, the Great American Beer Festival is an experience you won’t forget. Remember the ticket sale dates, purchase your tickets, and plan your trip to the Mile High City this October!
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