Shenzhen’s Craft Beer Festival is going into its second edition with plans to be twice the size of last year, according to organizer Joe Finkenbinder.
To be held on Friday, November 11, and Saturday, November 12, the beer fest will sport Western food, a roster of bands and DJs curated by the people behind Magma - as well as, of course, beer.
“This year is a lot bigger, the number of breweries more than doubled this year,” says Finkenbinder. “I would say the top breweries in the country - not all, but most of them - are coming in.”
Confirmed to attend are such legends as Slow Boat Brewing from Beijing, Boxing Cat Brewery from Shanghai and Master Gao from Nanjing.
“Last year was better than expected. I think everyone was pleasantly surprised with the turnout. I think that’s why this year we felt more comfortable spending a little bit more money on it and making it a bigger thing,” says Finkenbinder, who estimates 850 people attended last year’s one-day event.
Hong Kong’s Beertopia, the city's biggest craft beer festival featuring 14 Hong Kong breweries, is also being held a week after Shenzhen's event, which may mean more people interested in beer are in the area, thereby boosting the Shenzhen attendance.
The crowd at last year's craft beer festival came as a surprise.
Finkenbinder said music isn’t the focus of the event and the musician list is still evolving, but he expects DJs to play during the Friday night hours and four bands to play on Saturday.
“There’s never been this caliber of breweries in Guangdong, so a lot of people are coming in,” he says.
Six food vendors, including Frankie's Bar and Grille, will provide food such as pizza and ribs, while ice cream made from beer that is 11 percent alcohol will also be served.
“We’re pretty small compared to most beer festivals, but we’re doing that on purpose. We want to grow this organically. Who knows what will happen next year?” says Finkenbinder.
Tickets include one free beer and can be bought through yoopay.cn for RMB50 or RMB80 at the venue: SoFunLand in Xili District, near the Tanglang subway stop.
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