TRAVERSE CITY, MI - Michiganders’ craft beer fervor is being rewarded with a new beer festival in spring 2020.

The Michigan Brewers Guild Spring Beer Festival was announced on Wednesday, Oct. 30. It’s scheduled for 1-6 p.m. on Saturday, May 16 at Pit Spitters Park, 333 Stadium Drive in Traverse City. Tickets will go on sale to the public in March.

The addition brings MBG’s annual beer festival count to five.

“Adding a festival in northern Michigan rounds out the geographical footprint for our events and we think there will be a lot of enthusiasm,” Scott Graham, guild executive director said in a statement.

Pit Spitters Park is a privately-owned, multipurpose baseball stadium that seats 5,000, according to a MBG news release. It opened in 2006. Management is working to bring in events outside baseball.

“The guild is known to execute first-class events and their track record for these types of festivals is unparalleled,” Mickey Graham, Pit Spitters general manager, said in a statement. “We look forward to making this an annual one that beer lovers from all over the state enjoy.”

Mickey Graham was also involved in the development of the MBG Winter Beer Festival.

MGB festivals have grown over the years in terms of attendees and vendors, Scott Graham said. The guild debuted its first festival during summer 1998 and since then has “prided itself on hosting the best beer festivals in the state.”

The guild now hosts five beer festivals annually, including one each in winter, spring and summer and two in the fall. Here’s the 2020 schedule:

Michigan Winter Beer Festival: Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22 at Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park

Michigan Spring Beer Festival: Saturday, May 16 at Pit Spitters Park in Traverse City

Michigan Summer Beer Festival: Friday and Saturday, July 24-25 at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti

U.P. Fall Beer Festival: Saturday, Sept. 12 at Mattson Lower Harbor Park in Marquette

Detroit Fall Beer Festival: Saturday, Oct. 24 at Eastern Market in Detroit

The festivals exclusively feature Michigan craft beer produced by MBG’s more than 290 members.

MBG is the recognized advocate for the Michigan craft beer industry. Its mission is to promote and protect the industry. Its goal is to help craft beer acquire 20 percent of the market by 2025.

Craft brewing in Michigan provides more than 17,000 full-time jobs and $700 million in wages with a total economic impact of $2.4 billion, according to MBG.

Michigan ranks No. 4 in the nation in terms of the number of breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs in the state, MBG says.

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