Inner West Country Fest

Overview

Love a hyperlocal brew? Two-step your way to Inner West Country Fest – a three-weekend celebration of music, food and community spread along the Inner West Ale Trail, home to 18 of the best independent brewers in the country. Held across Saturday, May 10–Sunday, May 11; Saturday, May 17–Sunday, May 18; and Saturday, May 24–Sunday, May 25, each weekend will burst to life with rodeo-ready vibes, from country and southern hip-hop tunes to smoked meat feasts, laneway dance parties and vinyl markets.

Best of all, the entire program is walk-in friendly and completely free, with an array of highlights providing the perfect opportunity to kick up your boots. Launching the festivities on Saturday, May 10, is the Pickled Monkey Brewing Co., hosting a hot chilli-eating contest presented by Burnin' Bites Down Under. Then, Sauce Brewing Co. takes over on Sunday, May 11, with the Dance Country Party, where DJ Levins will host a disco-country dancehall extravaganza.

On Saturday, May 17, Young Henrys teams up with First Nations creative collective Awesome Black for Mindjiigari Ngurru — From Sky to Country. With live music, cultural dance, basket weaving and storytelling, this powerful event sees ten First Nation artists and DJs celebrate inclusivity, cultural exchange and connection to Country. Meanwhile, the festival's second weekend also features the Awesome '80s Party at The Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre.

As for the final weekend, Future Brewing hosts Inner West chef Mitch Orr and pitmaster Jo Chewy on Saturday, May 24, for the Country Cookout, serving up crowd-pleasing cuisine. Then, the event goes out with a bang under the stars, as Wayward Brewing Co. shuts down its laneway for the Hoedown Throwdown Laneway Party, teeming with live bands, late-night dancing, a Texan-style BBQ menu and laid-back cornhole games.