SMALL TOWN, BIG FESTIVAL, HUGE EXCITEMENT March 21, 2022
The LARGEST craft beer festival in the Cowichan Valley & Mid-Island
Cowichan Valley, BC - The Craft Beer and Food Festival is thrilled to announce their 3rd festival within the Cowichan Valley on Saturday, August 13, 2022. The Craft Beer & Food Festival will host a large selection of Vancouver Island and BC regional breweries plus a selection of artisanal food pairings from within the Cowichan Valley and Chemainus. Postponed for the past few years due to the pandemic, the organizers are excited to see this event return to Chemainus and representing the Cowichan Valley. “An event of this magnitude is typically held in a larger market like Victoria or Vancouver, and we are so excited to see it return to our wonderful little town,” says Krystal Adams, Executive Director to both the Festival and to the Chemainus Business Improvement Association (CBIA), the organizers of this event. When asked about the concerns of further restrictions Mrs. Adams says, “As long as we have a place to host it, with beer to serve, and people wanting to come; we are willing to find a way to make it safe for people to attend in whatever capacity is safest. People are aching to return to events such as these and it’s exciting to be welcoming them back into Chemainus.” The Cowichan Craft Beer & Food Festival is unique in the Cowichan Valley because its focus, aside from food, is
exclusively on the craft beer movement and is the biggest truly craft beer event of its kind in the Cowichan Valley.
We are working with the BC Craft Brewers Guild as a guild recommended event which only a few B.C. wide festivals are sanctioned. This is also similar to the last event which was held in 2017. It was the second largest craft beer event (by variety of beer), on the entire Island. There were 30 breweries in attendance each bringing three beer varieties to try. There were dozens of artisanal food vendors and merchandise as well. Tickets sold out months before the event with hundreds on the waitlist. “The event was so popular and well received that we are still fielding requests years later to see its return. We will not disappoint and we will be enhancing with additional live music, seating areas, and big games for a little extra fun. To ensure the atmosphere continues to feel like a festival within these times (additional safety protocols in place for COVID), much diligence is being taken in this, the planning stage. “We will be hiring a dedicated coordinator to working hand in hand with myself to manage the fine details that are in the hundreds of items for events such as this,” denotes Mrs. Adams. Organizers will also be working with multiple transportation companies from Duncan, Nanaimo and Victoria/Langford, to secure shuttles to and from the event. They will also be arranging transport from parking areas in Chemainus into the “to be announced” venue location. “We are working on a few great event spaces in Chemainus that fit the bill for something like this. We are also lining up some great supporting partners such as welcoming back Riot Brewing Co. as the hometown brewery which will also be a flagship for tickets and tastings of what they will be bringing,” mentions Mrs. Adams. Riot is happy to be back to participating in events like these once again after the CVOID hiatus they have seen. Tickets will be sold online and throughout the island including purchase locations in Nanaimo, Victoria, Langford, and multiple key locations through Duncan and Chemainus. Details are being solidified and will be released in the oncoming weeks. Price point accessibility was a key consideration when planning this event. To meet this requirement, tickets will be offered at a pre-sale price in the low $20 range (ending July 1st), with a regular admission rate taking over after. “We don’t have an exact ticket cost at the moment as we are assessing considerations, but we will be keeping the costs low – similar to what has been seen in the past. The considerations come from inflation, costs of goods, and the want to exceed health and safety measures. The event landscape, although seemingly the same from previous years, is actually very different. Grants such as the Canada Festivals Grant we received enable us (a non-profit) to make sure we are keeping costs as low as possible and not passing them onto attendees.” Identifies Mrs. Adams. “As a bonus, we will be giving our past ticket holders the opportunity at the lower introductory ticket price before the general public as a thanks for their patience. They need to just be checking their email carefully in the upcoming weeks.” If for some reason it was to be cancelled due to any further pandemic restrictions or shutdowns, she sees no reason why ticket refunds wouldn’t be issued as they cover the product cost almost exclusively.
Tickets will likely not be available at the door as a sell-out is expected this year as well. Each ticket will allow for
entry into the Craft Beer & Food Festival as well as live music on the festival grounds, five tasting tokens, a
commemorative keepsake, and the opportunity to WIN a large value door prize. VIP tickets will again be offered this year and will allow for an additional tasting time, plus other perks. As a not-for-profit, funds generated through ticket sales are hard costs used to pay for vendor product. It is important to the CBIA that these businesses are supported and paid for what they supply to the patrons. Any additional funds after costs will be donated to local not-for- profits and charity organizations.
PRESS CONTACT
For additional information, to schedule an interview/obtain additional quotes, or to discuss event media
presence please contact:
Krystal Adams, Executive Director
Chemainus Business Improvement Association and Cowichan Craft Beer & Food Festival
Direct line: 250-216-4239 | Email: krydstal@chemainusbia.com | Website: http://chemainusbia.com
EVENT WEBSITE:
http://craftbeerandfoodfest.com – will be live and updated before press publishing.