The Great Australian Beer Festival (GABF) and beer lover’s paradise is back and we can’t think of a better way to spend a summer day in the new year… or this time, two summer days.
For the 2023 edition, the beloved festival is expanding to run over two days in January. The festival will now take place on Friday, January 20 from 4pm to 10pm and Saturday, January 21 from 12pm to 7pm in 2023.
Building on from April’s 2022 event which featured two jam-packed sessions over one day, the epic local beer festival will descend upon Geelong’s Johnstone Park bigger and better than ever with two whole days to epic eats, beats and beer with plenty of room to move, and less crowd to contend with as you sip and sample your way around GABF. You can grab tickets right here!
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Delivering an immersive ‘Taste of the Region’ style festival for its 10th anniversary, patrons will have the opportunity to celebrate the region’s best in food/drink, arts, and entertainment with a colossal lineup of world-class breweries, cideries, distilleries, cocktail specialists, vineyards and local gourmet street food.
The GABF experience is as diverse and unique as the spectacular range of producers that inspire it. For 2023 the festival has partnered with the City of Geelong to help cement itself as Geelong’s signature summer festival experience, welcoming locals, and visitors alike to explore the latest in trends, innovative creations, simple delights, and old faithful favourites.
“As habits shift and the demographic of the festival-goer becomes more sophisticated, the demand for quality, artisan products and experiences increase as well. As a festival, we have also evolved from a locally attended showcase of breweries to an iconic cultural and destination experience in the city centre, attended by a broad cross-section of the local community and primarily by a targeted, intra/interstate audience” says Kieran Blood, Festival founder and Co-Director.
“We are both excited and honoured to have the opportunity to work in partnership with the City of Geelong to continue to invest in diverse programs that will develop GABF into a signature “taste of the region” event and ‘must do experience’ for all.”
While beer lovers are in for a treat, so are music lovers. Headlining the Friday night session is iconic Aria nominated artist Jolyon Petch, best known for his singles “Holding On” and “Dreams”, which spent three weeks and seven weeks respectively at number one on the Australian ARIA Club chart. Indie rock singer-songwriter Tyne-James Organ will also take to the Gage Roads live music stage alongside Petch. Tyne has steadily grown his audience and reputation over the last few years with hard work, brilliant stagecraft, wearing his heart on his sleeve and an undeniable talent for writing beautiful music.
As for Saturday, the Gage Roads live music stage will be brought to live by Melbourne three-piece Telenova, who will be bringing their dreamscape of 70s chords, haunting melodies, cinematic songwriting and nostalgic trip-hop beats, and legendary Australian blues musician Ash Grunwald along with local emerging talent. The full music lineup for both days will be announced soon. There’s just something about a cold beer and a live band… we can’t wait.
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Alongside the tunes, Saturday’s session will also host live cooking demonstrations at the Brick Lane Culinary Stage showcasing local ingredients featuring our favourite culinary names, as well as The Barrett Burston Masterclass, Trivia, Cocktail mixing, brewer forums, beer/food matching, free tastings and more delivered by local industry stalwart Tiff Waldron.
With a reputation as Australia’s most diverse and colourful beer festival, 2023 will also see the introduction of a live comedy stage featuring iconic and emerging comedians performing on the Brick Lane comedy stage on Friday 20th January. Hosted by Stewart Bell, Geelong will be treated to a belly full of laughs from Tom Ballard, Nick Cody, Alex Ward and Kirsty Webeck.
GABF overflows with fun, from the moment you set hands on your tasting glass, ‘til the time you’re tipping back your last beer of the day, and the return to the central location – just a short walk from Geelong station – will offer easier access for visitors and has plenty of accommodation and nightlife options for those kicking on afterwards. How good is that?
GABF will transform the iconic and picturesque Johnstone Park into a beer oasis on Friday, January 20 from 4pm-10pm and Saturday, January 21 12pm-7pm 2023.
Find out more and book tickets at www.gabfgeelong.com.au.
This article was made in partnership with GABF.
