Craft beer lovers get ready, the East Kootenay Beer Festival is coming and it will be bigger than ever.
The festival, in its fourth year, is on June 20th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort Ski Area. This year, event organizers have gone all out, planning to give guests an unforgettable weekend in the beautiful Columbia Valley.
We will have over 70 beers for guests to sample and several new breweries presenting unique and seasonal brews, including Hoyne Brewing and Moon Under Water, Charlotte Moos, Fairmonts Special Events Coordinator, said. To top it off, we also have our food truck on site serving up traditional beer lovers eats like bratwursts and authentic German pretzels to keep people well fed.
For the first time, Fairmont Hot Springs Resorts annual Long Drive Competition will run in tandem with the festival. Both young and old will tee up three golf balls and attempt to hit them as far as possible down the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort airports runway.
The contest is on June 19th from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and costs $15 for adults and $10 for children, with all proceeds going to the Columbia Valley Golf Trail Junior Tour, which helps to develop young golfers. Along with the chance of winning some cool prizes, all participants will receive a two-for-one coupon for the barbecue party at Mountainside Clubhouse, including live music by Ted Alexander from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
We decided the Long Drive Contest would be a great way to kick off the whole weekend, Ms. Moos said.
Another new addition to the festival is this years after party, held at the ski chalet. Local band Valley Forged will have the crowd rocking out for the remainder of the night. All festival guests are invited to attend the party, enjoy some of their favourite beers, and take in the mountain views.
As well as individual tickets for $49, the festival is offering two different packages for guests looking to stay for the weekend. The Lodge Package includes two nights of accommodation, two tickets to the festival and unlimited access to Canadas largest natural mineral hot springs.
The Camping Package includes two tickets to the festival and a two night stay at Spruce Grove RV park and campground. Ms. Moos said the accommodation packages and the additional events held over the weekend will encourage guests to spend more time in the valley.
It encourages people to come here not only for the festival but for the whole weekend. Ms. Moos said. We want the festival to be a special part of their summer vacation plans.
Tickets are still available. To purchase, or for more information, call 1-800-663-4979 or visit www.fairmonthotsprings.com/4th-annual-beerfest.
