Vermont Brewers Festival returns to Burlington with 40-plus breweries
More than 40 breweries poured at Burlington Waterfront as the Vermont Brewers Festival marked its 33rd year with three sessions and a first-ever VIP.
The Vermont Brewers Festival brought more than 40 breweries to Burlington Waterfront on July 17-18, turning Waterfront Park into a two-day snapshot of Vermont beer. The 33rd-anniversary event paired three sessions with a VIP option, giving drinkers a broad look at the state’s brewing lineup in one lakefront setting.
Festival materials put general-admission tickets at $60 and VIP tickets at $115, and the 2026 guide described the VIP tier as a first-ever experience with early entry, an exclusive lounge and specialty pours. The same materials noted that some breweries were scheduled to be there all weekend, a detail that made the festival feel less like a one-shot tasting and more like a sustained showcase across the full run.
The Vermont Brewers Association used the event to spotlight the organization’s own long arc as much as the beer. The association was founded in 1995 by Greg Noonan, and its mission is to promote and strengthen the culture of craft brewing in Vermont through marketing, education and advocacy for Vermont-made beer. Festival materials also listed Emma Arian as executive director, Terry Thompson as VBA president, Gracie Harvey as events and marketing chair, and Lucas Molloy as event contractor.
That structure matters because the Burlington weekend works as a live read on the state’s beer scene, not just a summer outing. A 40-plus brewery roster at Waterfront Park gives drinkers a concentrated view of how widely Vermont brewers are filling tap lists, and the mix of three sessions plus VIP showed the association leaning into both accessibility and premium access. With the festival now in its 33rd year, Burlington once again became the place where Vermont brewing was easiest to sample in a single pass.
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