Great American Beer Festival
- Dates
- Expected October 2026
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- Levitt Pavilion Denver
- Price
- $66 to $121
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Aug 23, 2026
Great American Beer Festival returns to Denver, CO, Expected October 2026, with Low Cut Connie and Próxima Parada. Froligo tracks the confirmed lineup, current ticket prices, attendee feedback and travel details.
What to eat & drink
You must try…
Crowd favourites and signature dishes are being verified. Check back before you go.
Watch before you taste
Food tours, crowd favourites and festival highlights.
The experience
What's special
The Great American Beer Festival, run by the Brewers Association since 1982, is the largest and most prestigious beer event in the United States part national competition, part public tasting, routinely described as the 'Super Bowl' of American craft beer and cited by Guinness World Records for the sheer number of beers pourable in one place. Across its tasting sessions, tens of thousands of attendees sample one-ounce pours from hundreds of breweries spanning the country, alongside themed experience zones, a biergarten, live music and, in recent years, an expanded lineup of cider, spirits and other beverages. For 2026 the festival is being reimagined as an open-air event at Levitt Pavilion in Denver's Ruby Hill Park, moving outdoors after decades indoors at the Colorado Convention Center
What people love
Attendees overwhelmingly point to the unmatched breadth of breweries and beers as the core draw the chance to taste widely across the American brewing landscape in a single session and generally rate the event good value for the ticket given the volume of pours included. Many note that despite huge crowds, entry tends to be smooth and the floor rarely feels claustrophobic, though queues for cult beers (sours, rarities, marquee breweries) are a well-known trade-off that reward planning ahead
Last time around (2025)
The 2025 festival ran October 9-11 at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver the last edition in its longtime indoor home before the 2026 move outdoors. It leaned harder than ever into breadth beyond beer, adding a first-time Distilling Experience with around 20 distilleries pouring quarter-ounce spirits samples, alongside returning themed 'experience zones' (a German-style biergarten, a Halloween tasting area), silent discos, costume contests and live music. Coverage framed it as a deliberate expansion from the festival's beer-first roots toward a broader beverage showcase while keeping thousands of beers at its center
Music & entertainment
Tap an artist to play them right here.
Getting there
Nearest airport DEN.
How do I get to Great American Beer Festival?
By car
Most people drive to Great American Beer Festival. The nearest major airport is DEN, and from there it is a straightforward drive to the venue. Check current road and traffic conditions before you set off, and see parking below.
By train
No direct passenger rail to the venue was found. Drive, fly in, or use a shuttle instead.
By bus & public transit
From Denver International Airport (DEN), take the RTD A Line commuter rail to Denver Union Station, then transfer to the E or C light-rail line toward the I-25 & Broadway Station, or the C Line to Evans Station the two stations closest to Levitt Pavilion in Ruby Hill Park. Note both stations still leave a walk/rideshare gap: Evans Station is over a mile (30+ min walk) and Broadway/I-25 about 1.7 miles from the venue, so most transit riders finish the last leg by rideshare or bike. GABF explicitly encourages transit/rideshare over driving because it is a 21+ drinking event
Book / info →Festival shuttle
The festival runs an official round-trip shuttle between the Sheraton Denver Downtown and Levitt Pavilion, departing the Sheraton from 11:00am each festival day, roughly every 15-30 minutes or when a bus fills. Purchased as a ticket add-on via Eventbrite; sales close October 1, 2026. This is the recommended no-drive option for downtown-based attendees
Book / info →Taxi & rideshare
Rideshare is a primary recommended option given the 21+ drinking format. GABF directs all rideshare pickups/drop-offs to enter Ruby Hill Park via Jewell Ave. From DEN, rideshare downtown/south-Denver is straightforward; within the city it is the common last-mile from the light-rail stations
Book / info →Taxis and rideshare such as Uber and Lyft can be limited near the venue, especially late at night or in rural areas. Agree a pickup point and time in advance and keep a backup plan.
🅿 Parking
Cost Denver Electrical Lot rate set at reservation; confirm current price.
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at DEN
Not recommended for the festival itself GABF is a 21+ drinking event and the organizers push transit/rideshare/shuttle. Car hire only makes sense for fly-in attendees pairing GABF with wider Colorado travel, in which case they should not drive to/from the festival on session days
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
Levitt Pavilion Denver
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Great American Beer Festival?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Hotels nearby 5
Airbnb & private camping
Denver has a large short-term-rental supply citywide (market-average nightly rate roughly $180-$190). Neighborhoods near light rail (downtown, Baker, Washington Park, along the Broadway corridor) are the practical picks for reaching Ruby Hill without driving. Expect modest festival-weekend upward pressure over the traditional October slot but nothing like a peak-holiday surge
Search Airbnb →Hipcamp lists many private-land camping/glamping/RV options within driving range of Denver, but they cluster 30-90 minutes toward the foothills not a downtown-adjacent alternative for a transit-dependent 21+ event, and driving back from a beer festival is exactly what the organizers warn against. Better suited to a wider Colorado trip than as a festival base
Search Hipcamp →Accessibility & comfort
What the organiser or venue publishes about getting around, and what they do not.
The Great American Beer Festival answers access in its FAQ, and the detail is about the venue, Levitt Pavilion in Denver. Levitt Pavilion has an ADA accessible entrance off Jewell Ave. on the south side of the park. ADA seating is available in the rear left and right of the sound booth.
Read the full notes
ADA parking is adjacent to Levitt Pavilion's entrance and is first come, first served. ADA restrooms are available at the entrance to the venue near the concessions. The organiser asks guests needing ADA accommodations to notify the GABF team at [email protected].
Nothing is published on ground surface or terrain, companion or carer tickets, ASL or a quiet or sensory space
Confirm your specific needs with the organiser's access team before you travel.
Checked 2026-09-03 · source
Pricing
Price history and tiers
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