12+ beer festivals to toast in Ontario, Quebec and New York

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Updated May 16, 2023.

Do you love craft beer, food truck fare and live music? Then you’re in luck: It’s the season of beer festivals and there’s an event for every taste!

Drink beers of the world in Montreal

Mondial de la bière (May 18 to 21, 2023) is an indoor-outdoor event at Windsor Station and Rio Tinto Yard in Montreal. One of North America’s largest international beer festivals, it features more than 400 products from more than 80 breweries, distilleries and cideries. You can check out workshops on pairing beer with cheese, chocolates and appetizers, and enjoy musical entertainment.

Raise a glass in Orleans

The Orleans Craft Beer Festival (June 8 to 10, 2023) will feature beer, cider, wine and spirits from more than 30 makers—including Cobden’s Whitewater Brewing Company, Almonte’s Dairy Distillery and Munster’s Saunders Cider, as well as several Orleans-based breweries—in an outdoor event at Centrum Plaza. Food trucks will be on hand serving up hot dogs, fries and barbecue.

Try new-to-you beers at Fort Henry

On Saturday, June 10, the YGK Craft Beer Fest will take over Fort Henry National Historic Site in Kingston. Since it’s the official after-party of a 5K race called the Cannonball Crush, there will be lots of runners in the crowd, but you don’t have to be an athlete to attend. In fact, you don’t even have to like beer, as vendors will also be serving Ontario-made cider, vodka, artisanal sodas and other drinks. Food trucks will be serving up treats such as doughnuts, burgers and poutine, and the live entertainment roster includes Eastbound of Bytown, the Gertrudes and Avery Raquel.

Rock on in Gatineau

The Gatineau Beerfest (Festibière de Gatineau) at the Place des Festivals Zibi in March and usually serves up hundreds of types of craft beer made by brewers from Quebec and beyond.

More beer festivals to try

The three events above are just a few of the beer festivals you can sample this season; here are some of the rest. Enjoy, and remember—don’t drink and drive!

• New York State Craft Brewers Festival (June 24, 2023): Beer-makers from across New York state will be converging on Buffalo for this event.
• Festibière de Lévis (June 29 to July 2, 2023): This family-friendly festival offers a great view of Quebec City across the St. Lawrence River from Quai Paquet (great name!).
• Festival des bières de Laval (July 14 to 16, 2023): Sample a few of the 400+ beers being poured by more than 40 breweries.
• Toronto’s Festival of Beer (July 28 to 30, 2023): This year, this huge festival’s musical guests include Ice Cube, Third Eye Blind and T-Pain.
• Port Perry Craft Beer Festival (early August): This pet-friendly event in Palmer Park will raise money for the Lake Scugog Enhancement Project.
• Festibière de Québec (Quebec City; August 17 to 20, 2023): This major event in Quebec City’s Old Port hosts dozens of beverage makers and food vendors, along with lots of live musical entertainment.

• Flour City Brewers Fest (Rochester, New York; August 18, 2023): Dozens of brewers and other beverage makers usually participate in this beer festival at the Rochester Public Market. There are food vendors, too.
• Kingston Ribfest and Craft Beer Show (September 8 to 10, 2023): Beer, food, live entertainment and free admission are the draws for this Limestone City fest.
• Beau’s Oktoberfest (Vankleek Hill, Ontario; September 23, 2023): This popular event is usually one of Eastern Ontario’s largest beer festivals.
• Toronto Craft Beer Festival: On hiatus until 2024.

Did I forget your favourite fest? Let me know in the comments!

Looking for more tips on things to see and do in Eastern Ontario, the Outaouais, northern New York state and beyond? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter or order a copy of my book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your Weekend Getaway Guide.

As the owner of Ottawa Road Trips, I acknowledge that I live on, work in and travel through the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg Nation. I am grateful to have the opportunity to be present on this land. Ottawa Road Trips supports Water First, a non-profit organization that helps address water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada through education, training and meaningful collaboration.

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