Ballarat Beer Festival 2017

Overview

Mark your calendars with a big red X, because the Ballarat Beer Festival is back. Taking over City Oval on Saturday, January 21, this annual event is one of the highlights of the drinking year, with some 40 independent brewers serving more than 200 brews. Combine that with music, food trucks and a range of "drinking-friendly" activities and games, and it's an event that beer-lovers won't want to miss.

Coopers, Hawkers, Brooklyn Brewery, Pirate Life and Two Birds are just a few of the brewers who'll be pouring their wares, including several new concoctions you'll get to try for the very first time. There'll also be ciders and wine on offer if beer isn't your thing — although if that's the case, you might want to ask yourself what you're doing at the festival in the first place.

Then again, despite the name, this isn't just a day for getting absolutely sloshed. Ticketholders will also be able to attend beer education classes, take in live music performances, and watch a human sized foosball game as part of the first ever Beerllarat Olympics.