Michigan Brewers Guild Announces NEW Spring Festival; 2020 Dates for 5 Annual Events Now Available

The Michigan Brewers Guild is excited to announce the addition of a new spring festival – the Michigan Brewers Guild Spring Beer Festival -- to be held on Saturday, May 16 from 1-6pm in Traverse City Pit Spitters Park at 333 Stadium Drive (US-31 South, Traverse City). Tickets will go on sale to the general public in March.

“Over the past 22 years, the Michigan Brewers Guild has prided itself on hosting the best beer festivals in the state,” says Scott Graham, Guild Executive Director. “We started with the Summer Beer Festival in 1998 and have grown over the years in terms of the number of events as well as participating breweries and attendees. Adding a festival in northern Michigan rounds out the geographical footprint for our events and we think there will be a lot of enthusiasm for the MBG Spring Beer Festival in Traverse City. We are very excited to partner with our friends in Traverse City – who we came to know while growing our Winter Beer Festival – in introducing this new event to all.”

The 5,000-seat Pit Spitters Park is a privately-owned multi-purpose facility located in Traverse City and home to the Traverse City Pit Spitters of the Northwoods collegiate wooden bat league. The stadium was originally opened in 2006 and the facility and baseball franchise were purchased by group of investors led by the West Michigan Whitecaps in September of 2018.



“As we look to make Pit Spitters Park a venue that is host to events other than baseball games, a partnership with the Michigan Brewers Guild is a natural fit,” says Mickey Graham, Pit Spitters General Manager, who helped the Guild develop the Winter Beer Festival downstate. “The Guild is known to execute first class events and their track record for these types of festivals is unparalleled. We look forward to making this an annual one that beer lovers from all over state the enjoy.”

In addition to this new festival, the Guild has announced its complete 2020 schedule of festivals – which include some changes of two events back to one-day festivals.

“We want to be respectful of the time and efforts of our member breweries and we think this change makes sense especially given the challenges that weather can pose,” Scott Graham says. “The Summer Beer Festival in Ypsilanti, our oldest and largest event, will continue as a two-day festival.”

The 2020 schedule includes:

• Michigan Winter Beer Festival – Saturday, February 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, July 24 & Saturday, July 25 at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti

• U.P. Fall Beer Festival – Saturday, September 12 at Mattson Lower Harbor Park in Marquette

• Detroit Fall Beer Festival – Saturday, October 24 at Eastern Market in Detroit

For more on each festival, including ticket on-sale dates for Enthusiast Members and the general public, visit MiBeer.com/events.

The Michigan Brewers Guild was formed in 1997 and held its first festival in July 1998. Today, the Guild hosts five festivals dedicated exclusively to Michigan craft beer produced by its more than 290 member breweries (a number that increases on a monthly basis).

The Michigan Brewers Guild is the network of innovative and passionate brewers that serves as the recognized advocate for the Michigan craft beer industry. The mission of the Michigan Brewers Guild is to promote and protect the Michigan craft beer industry with an overarching goal to help craft beer acquire 20% of the market by 2025.

Michigan’s thriving brewing industry contributes more than 17,000 full-time jobs and $700 million in labor income / wages, with a total economic impact of over $2.4 billion. In terms of overall number of breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs, Michigan ranks #4 in the nation—supporting its title as “The Great Beer State.”