The Great American Beer Festival announced this week that tickets will go on sale to the public on June 25, but anyone who attends the 44-year-old fest in 2026 will find a very different atmosphere than in years past.
The biggest changes are the result of a new venue, southwest Denver’s outdoor Levitt Pavilion, rather than the indoor Colorado Convention Center downtown. Located in the Ruby Hill neighborhood, Levitt is a city-owned, grassy swath of land with a stage that sees upward of 60 concerts per year — the vast majority of them free.
But thatap far from the only difference.
The 2026 festival will also be cheaper to attend, shorter and will have more of a music festival vibe. It will take place during the day rather than in the evening. And then there’s the unknown variable of Denver weather during the fest’s Oct. 10-11 dates.
In addition, many attendees – and there will be far fewer of them than in the past – will have to take pre-booked shuttles (at a cost of around $20), ride-sharing car services or public transportation to get to Levitt, located 5 miles from downtown.
“The different and creative use of the venue is something we are really excited about,” said Levitt executive director Meghan McNamara in an interview with The Denver Post earlier this year. The venue has been working with the Boulder-based Brewers Association — the industry trade group that runs GABF — on logistics.
“We have had cultural festivals on the lawn and other events. GABF will be new. It will look different than anything we have done,” she added. “One of the beautiful things about Levitt is you can choose your own experience. Dance, sit, stretch out under a tree.”
Shawnee Adelson, executive director of the Colorado Brewers Guild, which hosts several of its own major festivals, said some of the state’s breweries have expressed some “hesitation” about the venue.
“Mostly, they have questions. Breweries want to know how it is going to look, how it will go,” she explained. Others are concerned about the possibility of cold weather or snowfall. “You are always risking it with the weather in Colorado. We could get a snowstorm, or it could be 80 degrees.”
But Adelson also pointed out that there are beer festivals all over the Midwest, the East Coast and the Pacific Northwest that take place in cold weather, snow and rain without any problems. “I don’t envy the Brewers Association because switching locations is challenging. It is hard to have change. People like their consistency. But change can also reinvigorate something.”
Beyond the location, there could be other significant changes to the number of breweries in attendance and how their booths are staffed. For instance, in the past, hundreds of volunteers have handled the majority of the pouring duties, but a note on GABF’s website this year reads, “Participating breweries are expected to staff their booth at all times. Volunteer pourers will not be provided.”
The BA, through its outside public relations firm, declined to comment on volunteers.
In addition, Levitt can hold a maximum of 6,500 people per event, which means that the total number of attendees could only be 13,000 at most over the two days.
At one time, the GABF annually drew upward of 60,000 people to the Convention Center over three days each fall, with dozens and dozens of local bars, breweries and restaurants hosting their own events, beer tappings and mini-festivals.
But interest and ticket sales began to decline in 2022 after GABF returned following a two-year COVID-19-related absence, and because of a softening in beer sales nationwide and a waning interest in craft beer as a novelty. That necessitated a move to a small venue.
“If you have been to GABF the last couple of years, you recognized that the Convention Center wasn’t the right venue anymore. I think that is something people understand,” Adelson said.
So far, the majority of the feedback that Levitt has heard has been positive, McNamara said. “They are excited about a new format and festival.”
Tickets for GABF go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. on June 25. The festival takes place Oct. 10-11 from noon to 4 p.m. on both days. Tickets are $60 plus $6.53 in fees. The paired food-and-beer event will also return; tickets for that are $170.38. Get information about tickets, times and shuttles at .
