Darling Harbour is getting a huge new craft beer festival in December

Sydney has been a major stop for GABS, one of the world’s biggest and most unique beer festivals, for the past few years. Now the city is about to get a brand new celebration of craft beer with the inaugural edition of BeerFest Sydney popping up in Darling Harbour in early December.

Scheduled for the weekend of December 6-7, BeerFest Sydney will bring over 100 craft breweries from across Australia and squeeze them into Tumbalong Park with a packed schedule of small-batch brews, exclusive collaborations and bespoke cocktails.

Given the Australian craft beer market is currently worth $160 million, having another festival to encourage, foster and platform Australia’s best brewers – big and small – is a major win for Sydney’s lifestyle calendar in the weeks just before Christmas.

The weekend will also feature the “Beer Olympics” complemented by live entertainment and music, masterclasses, beer and food pairings, mixology classes, stand-up comedy and pop-up tattoo parlours.

BeerFest’s lineup will be firmed up as the event approaches but, as it stands, the program is already teeming with some of the industry’s most reliable names including Philter Brewery, Mountain Culture Beer Co, Spreyton Cider, White Bay, Brix Distillers, Good Fold Brewing, Tara Distillery, and Brickworks.

BeerFest has already been firmly established in Fremantle and Launceston. Sydney will be a welcome addition to the growing event, following the addition of Canberra and Melbourne in early 2025.

Tickets only start from $25 and are available from BeerFestivals Australia.