The beer festival is a very unusual event. The tradition of holding it came to us from Germany, where the famous Oktoberfest has been held for many years. Over time, these initiatives took root in Russia. Similar entertainment festivals are held in different cities. But some of the largest are in St. Petersburg. Thus, the line from the song of the popular group "Leningrad" - "Drink in St. Petersburg" is vividly illustrated. "What else is there to do?" - Numerous organizers of these holidays are perplexed.
Kvass and beer festival
The beer festival is often combined with the celebration of another friendly drink - kvass. A similar holiday is held in St. Petersburg. And for several years now.
Its venue is the Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex. The beer festival is held on the same day.
Due to the fact that in addition to beer, kvass is also included in the program, the festival is held in a family format. Both adults and young family members will be able to find a drink to their taste.
A mandatory attribute of such festivals is the performance of popular musicians. Usually concerts are given free of charge, while the groups that go on stage easily gather crowds of thousands. For example, at the last beer festival in St. Petersburg, which took place in the summer of 2017, Vyacheslav Butusov performed with his group U-Peter, the Sunday group and the Time Machine.
To be interesting for both adults and children, they organize interactive platforms. They are equipped with separate zones for sports competitions, intellectual and creative competitions, fun for the whole family.
For eight years now, a non-alcoholic platform has been working at the beer and kvass festival. And it doesn’t bother anyone. All minors, adults who came to the holiday at the wheel, and lovers of kvass here with generosity will be treated to this bread drink.
Adult area
There is enough space for adult visitors to the beer festival in St. Petersburg. They are offered a wide range of hop products from one of the largest Baltika beer companies in Russia.
Here, they carefully monitor that beer should never be sold to minors. Responsible for this are social activists who have joined together in the joint organization Beer Watch.
Hard times
The beer and kvass festival did not always have a bright future. In 2012, the holiday was canceled on the basis of the decision of the current governor Georgy Poltavchenko.
The reason for this was the new federal law, according to which beer was equated with other alcoholic beverages. As a result, everyone started talking about the collapse of the idea of creating an analogue of the famous Oktoberfest in the city on the Neva.
At the same time, it was originally planned to allocate about two million rubles from the city budget for the celebration. They had to go, in particular, to compensate for the costs associated with ensuring fire and medical safety.
For the brewing companies participating in the festival, this decision was so unexpected that most of them simply declined to comment. After all, with his signature on the decree on the cancellation of the festival, Poltavchenko caused not only financial, but also reputation damage to producers of foam drinks.
CRAFT WEEKEND Festival
Another major craft beer festival is being held in St. Petersburg under the name CRAFT WEEKEND. It combines up to 70 breweries in one place, as well as the largest street food venue in the city. There is also an abundance of music, visual art, and even beer yoga. About six thousand people take part in the festival.
A lot of musical groups come to the festival. Traditionally, this is the “Dunaevsky Orchestra”, “La Minor”, “Shorts”, “Gypsy Boutique”, “Che Morale” and many others.
Festival uniqueness
The uniqueness of this festival lies in the fact that in addition to the musical and entertaining parts, there is also a cognitive one. Masters in their fields give interesting lectures to everyone. For example, at the last festival of craft beer in St. Petersburg CRAFT WEEKEND, the commercial director of a large company, Roman Medvedev, talked about organizing control of procurement prices and working with the Unified State Automated Information System. The organizer of Restaurant Day in the city on the Neva, Olga Polyakova, gave a lecture on the differences and features of markets and food trucks. The founder of the Belgian brewery Rudi di Swimer shared his experience in the production of craft beer. Beer sommelier, yes, there is one, from Lithuania Jonas Lingis spoke about the features of crafting in his Baltic country.
There was even a speech by the author of the book “The history of beer. From monasteries to sports bars”, popular in certain circles. A lecture with the same name was delivered by Juha Tahwanainen.
The cost of visiting this festival is 400 rubles. For this money, you get a pass to the CRAFT WEEKEND territory, the official festival mug, the opportunity to attend a music program and lectures on craft brewing, and discuss issues of interest to you with experts in these fields. And also watch live how real craft beer is brewed at the festival.
Immersion in contemporary art
At the same festival of craft beer in St. Petersburg in 2017, visitors have a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of real contemporary art. To do this, even arrange a separate section CRAFT ART.
Here, modern painters exhibit their work. There is a CRAFT MARKET platform in the neighborhood, where anyone can purchase a work of art they like. There are also showrooms from St. Petersburg masters of arts and crafts. Author's interior items, vinyl records, fashionable in recent years, unique souvenirs.
Also at the festival every year you can vote for the best beers. Winning breweries receive pleasant prizes and gifts.
