Beervana Kicks Off Tomorrow, With Late Ticket Sales Surge Bringing Sweet Relief

Mallow Puffs, meringues, and mango puddings are just a taste of the beers on offer as Kiwi beer lovers descend on the capital for Beervana at Sky Stadium this Friday and Saturday.

More than 12,000 people are now expected to attend the two-day festival in Wellington. A late surge in ticket sales means the popular Saturday day session is now sold out, with fewer than 100 tickets left for the opening session on Friday.

“It’s been a weird year for the beer industry, so I’m just grateful to every single beer lover that has bought a ticket,” says Beervana Manager Ryan McArthur. “Now it’s our job to show them a good time - and I can promise you, breweries are going all out this year to do that.”

More than 50 breweries from New Zealand and around the world are showcasing their wares at Aoteaora’s largest celebration of beer, with Beervana’s beer list featuring well over 300 brews. A number of those beers are created especially for Beervana, with brewers using the festival as an opportunity to show off their skills and creativity.

This year also sees the return of the Beervana International Invitational, supported by Singapore Airlines, with three breweries from Germany (Schneeeule, Schneider Weisse and Sudden Death) pouring their beer at the festival and working with local breweries.

Paraparaumu’s Duncan’s, who are celebrating their 10th birthday at Beervana, have worked with Northern Germany’s Sudden Death on a Mango Pudding Smoothie Sour.

“One of the best things about the festival is the way it brings breweries together and one of the ways that shows up is through these collabs,” Ryan says.

“Queenstown’s Altitude Brewing and Sydney’s One Drop met at Beervana last year when they took out the top three spots on our beer leaderboard. This year they’re collaborating on a beer that tastes like a combination of Mallow Puffs and Cinnamon Rolls!”

“We love being able to facilitate relationships between these brewers from the other side of the world, which gives Kiwi beer lovers the chance to try something they wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else.”

It’s not just about beer at Beervana, with a range of weird and wonderful entertainment planned across the two days, including live music, , dwarves from Wētā Workshop, and the festival is also playing host to the Cello National Cornhole Championships.

“Beervana may be the only beer festival in the world where you can become a national sporting champion, " says Ryan.

“Anyone can sign up to compete in the qualifiers during the first three sessions of Beervana, with the competition culminating in the finals on Saturday night. It’s going to be a good time, and we all need a bit of that.”

Tickets are available for both Friday sessions and Saturday evening’s session. Prices start from $55pp, with fan passes for multiple sessions ranging from $95-150pp. Door sales are available before each session, but numbers are limited.

Beervana is proudly presented by Liquorland.

About Beervana
Expand your mind and enter the immersive beer wonderland that is Beervana. As New Zealand’s pinnacle celebration of good beer, a new experience awaits around every twist and turn. 

About The Wellington Culinary Events Trust
The Wellington Culinary Events Trust is a not-for-profit trust established in 2014 to run iconic culinary events including Visa Wellington On a Plate and Beervana.

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