A New Era Begins for the Great American Beer Festival

The greatest tragedy of reveling in the glow of nostalgia is the often fleeting realization that you didn’t appreciate just how great a moment was while you were living in it. Many beer fans who had the privilege of attending the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) during its golden era of opulence likely felt that all-too-familiar pang of regret on June 1 when the Brewers Association announced that GABF would be moving on from the Colorado Convention Center after 26 years to a smaller venue down the road to Denver’s Levitt Pavilion.

At its height, GABF held the distinction as the largest beer festival in the world, boasting approximately 60,000 attendees and over 800 breweries pouring nearly 4,000 beers across four sessions in three days. What was once the “Super Bowl of Craft Beer” began waning in 2022 after a two-year break during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, returning to a 30 percent footprint reduction, and ticket sales limited to just 40,000 attendees amid renovations to the Colorado Convention Center. 

Despite inventive attempts to modernize the festival with significant changes, like the addition of immersive themed zones and the inclusion of seltzers and distilled spirits producers, by 2025, the festival saw only 28,000 attendees across three sessions.

However, the latest and most significant evolution of the event will now bring GABF outdoors for the first time in its 44-year history with a move to Levitt Pavilion in Denver’s Overland neighborhood. This year’s changes will also aim to re-energize beer fans by placing a greater emphasis on getting back to the event’s original goal of showcasing award-winning beers. In narrowing its list down to 202 participating breweries at this year’s festival, the Brewers Association prioritized breweries that had won GABF and World Beer Cup medals in the last five years. 

That underlying theme of tying the festival back to the competition will be further highlighted during Sunday’s session, when the festival kicks off with the competition’s award ceremony taking place at center stage. For the first time, festival-goers can cheer on their favorite breweries as they take home top honors, and sample from medal winners while they’re being announced.

“The move to Levitt also required that we showcase fewer producers, so unfortunately we won’t be able to accommodate everyone who wanted to participate,” explained Bart Watson, President and CEO of the Brewers Association. “So we decided to narrow our criteria for participants by tying it back more directly to the competition. Sure, it creates more value for the competition by promoting past medal winners, but we also thought it gave a clearer consumer value proposition. Why is GABF relevant? Why do people show up? Ultimately it’s to taste the best in the country. GABF will offer that this year with virtually no drop-offs when it comes to quality.”

In addition to that emphasis on beer quality, the Brewers Association is also requiring that all participating brewers’ booths be staffed by actual brewers and brewery employees instead of volunteers, bringing its popular “Meet the Brewer” section to the full festival. These moves seem to have resonated with breweries like Westbound & Down Brewing Co., who previously opted out of pouring at the fest for several years.

“Westbound has always thrived during GABF week—the awards, the tap takeovers, the satellite events, and the energy the festival brings to Denver have been a huge part of our story,” said Eric Schmidt, marketing director for Westbound & Down Brewing. “Now that we have the team and resources to pour at the festival itself, joining felt like a natural next step. Participating in PAIRED (a separate ticketed food pairing section that brings together independent craft breweries with acclaimed chefs from across the country) has also been on our brewery bucket list for years, so we jumped at the opportunity. We proudly display our GABF awards in our taprooms and on our cans, and deepening our connection to the festival just felt right.”

Meanwhile, the move to Levitt Pavilion also aims to streamline the festival’s approach toward its experiential component. This year’s fest will swing bigger on a pair of signature musical acts for each session, including Low Cut Connie on Saturday and Próxima Parada on Sunday, instead of taking the scattershot approach of injecting immersive elements like themed zones and pop-up activations of luchador wrestling and brass band performances, for example.

However, the decision to move to an outdoor venue does come with its own inherent risks. As concerned beer fans noted online when the move was first announced, hosting an outdoor beer festival in October in Colorado could open the possibility of inclement weather. As an outdoor amphitheater, Levitt Pavilion also faces other challenges, like a natural sloped grade in some segments of the venue. Additionally, Denverites who have visited Levitt have voiced concerns around limited parking and potential traffic flow issues in and out of the fest.

Watson acknowledges that while some factors like the weather are uncontrollable, others, including planning for traffic with shuttles running from brewers’ hotels and nearby breweries, as well as a strategic floor plan to account for the slope, have all been thoughtfully considered.

We consulted weather reports, and that weekend is about the safest we get for weather throughout the year,” said Watson. “It’s beyond thunderstorm season, and should be before snow season, but we have tenting prepared in case of adverse conditions. But ultimately Coloradans are hearty. I was at last year’s AFC Championship game when the weather turned at halftime, and it was still a fun, rowdy atmosphere.” 

Ultimately, when attendees are there drinking beer outside on a beautiful October day, they’ll have a better overall experience than drinking in a big concrete box. 

The new-look 2026 Great American Beer Festival brings a much-needed shake-up to what had been by and large a rinse-and-repeat formula for the past several decades. And while most involved would readily admit to a tinge of uncertainty on whether it all fully translates, GABF certainly feels like it has returned to its roots and focused on the areas that truly matter most. 

So while we may not be getting what we wanted nostalgically in what was once the “Super Bowl of Beer”, considering the current state of the industry, what we’re getting might just be exactly what we need. 

Tickets to the Saturday session of GABF have sold out; however, as of the time of publication, tickets are still available for the Sunday, October 11 session.

New to the Great American Beer Festival in 2026

• – Moving to Levitt Pavilion, the festival’s first time moving outdoors.
• – Scaling down to two sessions in total, with one session taking place on Saturday and another on Sunday.
• – The split between out-of-state breweries pouring at the fest represents 69.4%, while Colorado will consist of 30.6% of the breweries pouring this year.
• – 4-ounce taster pours instead of 1-ounce pours.
• – A return to breweries being organized by region instead of themed zones.
• – While the International section will remain, this year’s fest will not include Brewers Guild, non-alcoholic, or Distilled Spirits sections.
• – PAIRED returns to both days of the festival, uniting independent craft breweries with acclaimed chefs from across the country pairing beer and food.
• – All participating brewers must staff their booth with brewers and brewery staff, essentially bringing Meet the Brewer to the entire festival.
• – Sunday’s session will include the competition award ceremony taking place at center stage, allowing public attendees to cheer on award winners for the first time.
• – In addition to a redesigned medal, this year’s award winners will also receive commemorative GABF tap handles created to help award-winning beer stand out on shelves and in taprooms.
• – Both sessions feature headlining bands, Low Cut Connie (Saturday) and Próxima Parada (Sunday).

---

At All About Beer, we’re honored to share the stories that define the beer community, and we couldn’t do it without the generous support of our underwriting sponsors. Their commitment helps sustain independent beer journalism, allowing us to highlight the people, places, and passion behind every pint. Their partnership ensures these stories continue to inspire, connect, and celebrate the craft we all love. Join our underwriters today and help make an impact on independent journalism covering the beer industry.