Welcoming more than 15 million visitors in 2016, Raleigh's urban parks, community events, and activity-packed downtown area are ideal for a North Carolina excursion. Outdoor enthusiasts will instantly fall in love with the city’s bounty of outdoor activities and more than 10,000 acres of parkland. William B. Umstead State Park is the most visited park in the state, and it features more than 22 miles of forested hiking trails, 13 miles of biking and horseback riding trails, and three man-made lakes that are ideal for fishing. If the outdoors are not your thing, the downtown area more than delivers with a variety of restaurants, live entertainment venues, and cultural attractions.
Brewgaloo has been the largest beer festival in North Carolina since it began in 2012, and it will take place April 27-28 at Raleigh’s City Plaza and on Fayetteville Street. This year’s event features hundreds of beers from more than 100 North Carolina breweries including Highland Brewing Company, Check 6 Brewing Company, Appalachian Mountain Brewery, and more. Attendees can participate in two events: Brewgaloo Block Party and Brewgaloo! (main event). The Brewgaloo Block Party (Raleigh City Plaza) kicks off the festival weekend and features unique beers not available at the other event, a variety of food trucks and vendors, as well as live music by local performers. At Brewgaloo! (Fayetteville St.) patrons can sample beers from more than 100 NC breweries, enjoy meals and bites from more than 50 food trucks, and enjoy the musical stylings of more than 12 local performing acts. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Wake Tech Community College Brewery Program, which trains and educates North Carolina’s next generation of beer makers. ResortsandLodges.com interviewed Event Director, Jennifer Martin, to learn more about this hoptacular event.
RAL: Tell me a little bit about the event.
JM: Brewgaloo is North Carolina’s largest beer festival.
RAL: How long has the event been running?
JM: The event began in 2012.
RAL: How many annual attendees do you draw?
JM: Around 30,000 people.
RAL: What demographic does your event attract? Children? Families? Couples?
JM: All of the above!
RAL: What makes this event unique?
JM: Brewgaloo was the first craft beer festival to pay brewers in full for their product sold at the event. It has also helped independent businesses have a platform to sell their products and several of them now have brick-and-mortar locations.
RAL: Take me through a day at the event. What can I expect as an attendee?
JM: There will be food trucks, corn hole, live music, vendors, dancing, selfie booths, and more.
RAL: What will attendees find for dining options?
JM: Attendees can purchase foods from 50 food trucks and a variety of local restaurants.
RAL: Tell us about the overall atmosphere?
JM: It’s fun and social, perfect for all ages, races, and backgrounds.
RAL: What can an attendee expect to find for local lodging?
JM: Some local options include Residence Inn, Aloft Raleigh, Holiday Inn Downtown, Marriott, and Sheraton Downtown.
RAL: What does this event mean to the community?
JM: It’s one of Raleigh’s largest street festivals, and it creates over a million dollars in economic spending. The event spends around $140K on NC beer annually. Many of the breweries that attended their first beer festival with Brewgaloo have grown to distribute in the area and establish brick-and-mortars.
RAL: Does this drive business to your local economy?
JM: Yes, without a doubt! Brewgaloo is a major player in driving awareness to Raleigh and economic spending. We will have visitors from 45 states travel in to attend the event.
RAL: Does the event support a particular cause in the community?
JM: Shop Local Raleigh is a non-profit organization, and for the first year we are going to be donating back to Wake Tech Community College brewery program to help offset costs for students.
RAL: Why should people come to your event?
JM: Brewgaloo is one of a kind. It’s a festival that allows consumers to drink beer on city streets while having a good time, listening to music, and meeting new people. The event is affordable and ideal for people that love food trucks, craft beer, cider, and good times. Brewgaloo is about enjoying the great outdoors and remembering what a good time it is to be alive!
For more information about Brewgaloo!, please visit the event website.