Magic City Brewfest is back this year! Birmingham’s favorite beer festival returns at its original location at Sloss Furnaces with nearly 50 breweries in attendance. Keep reading to learn how to have the best Brewfest possible this year and get the early-bird special with code BHAMNOW.

Magic City Brewfest is back

This year Magic City Brewfest returns on Saturday, June 12 from 4-8PM at Sloss Furnaces. The 14th annual beer festival is the largest in the state and brings in breweries from across Alabama and a few national ones too. It began in 2007 through the work of Free the Hops to gather the players in Alabama’s then-burgeoning brewery scene in one place to show off their best and buzziest brews.

After a couple years hosted at Avondale Park, Magic City Brewfest will come home to Sloss Furnaces this year. It was set to return in 2020, but like all events last year, COVID had other plans.

Here’s what Alabama Brewers’ Guild Executive Director Jim Perkins had to say:

“I’m most excited about getting the Alabama breweries and brewers back together for a celebration that has been sorely missed. I’m also thrilled that this event will give people the chance to get out and enjoy the premiere brewfest in Alabama.”
Jim Perkins, Executive Director, Alabama Brewers Guild

What to expect

There will be a few changes at this year’s Magic City Brewfest, including new COVID precautions and safe drinking guidelines. Here are a few from their “Tips for a Successful Brewfest”:

Stick to the 2oz tasting glass.
Pace yourself (as much as you might want to, it’s a little unwise to taste every beer available).
Make sure you have a ride home before you start drinking.
Hydrate so you don’t die-drate.

One of the best new features of Magic City Brewfest is the Designated Driver ticket. If you’re driving your friends and not planning on sampling from the breweries available, you can purchase a deeply discounted ticket that gets you in to enjoy the atmosphere sipping on sodas.

Check out some of the COVID safety features of the festival below:

Social distancing of at least 6 feet from other groups
Adherence to the local mask mandate, if applicable
Capacity cap at 2,500 guests

Another big change from previous brewfests is that the musical talent will not be focused on a single, central stage. Instead, to keep a large crowd from gathering at one location, bands and artists will be spread throughout Sloss Furnaces.

Get early-bird tickets to the Magic City Brewfest today and use BHAMNOW to get a Bham Now-only discount.

Free the Hops

Magic City Brewfest is sponsored by Free the Hops, an organization that is now part of the Alabama’s Brewers’ Guild. Founded in 2004, Free the Hops was pivotal in bringing breweries and local beer to Alabama. Now, they help host the largest beer festival in the state and continue to advocate for Alabama breweries.

Check out a little bit of what they’ve accomplished since their founding:

Founded Magic City Brewfest in 2007
Founded Rocket City Brewfest in 2009
Helped increase the legal ABV level of craft beer through the 2009 Gourmet Beer Act
Helped open taprooms in Alabama through the 2011 Brewery Modernization Act