To mark its 20th anniversary, the San Antonio Beer Festival will return to its original location at Hemisfair with a splash of Oktoberfest.
In recognition of the German community that once lived on the Hemisfair grounds, the beer festival will feature German-inspired cuisine, a steinholding competition, live music, dance and more than 300 beers.
The festival will be held on Oct. 18 at Civic Park within the Hemisfair District.
“The significance of the new location is it’s kind of a homecoming since we haven’t been to Hemisfair since 2013,” said event organizer Cassandra Wagner. “We’ve had festivals at three parks since then, most recently at Crockett Park. So this is exciting because our 20th anniversary aligns with our return to Hemisfair.”
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wagner said, the San Antonio Beer Festival was the largest single-day beer festival in Texas.
“In the past few years, we’ve seen anywhere from 5,000 to 7,000 attendees,” she said. “We’re expecting probably around 6,000 to 7,000 at Hemisfair.”
A portion of proceeds from the festival will benefit the San Antonio Food Bank.
“Between cash and media, we’ve been able to donate about $40,000 to the festival for each of the past five years,” Wagner said. “We have a strong partnership with the food bank and partner with them on multiple events each year. We believe in their work.”
