#Indy Winterfest | Drink Beer. Support Indiana Brewers.
Join the nonprofit Indiana Brewers Guild for our annual winter fundraiser, Winterfest, February 8, 2025 from 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the Indiana State Fairgrounds West Pavilion in downtown Indianapolis. Sample hundreds of beers, ciders, and more brewed by dozens of Hoosier breweries & guests while enjoying local shopping, games, and more. Make sure you have the safest, most fun day possible at Winterfest by reviewing the info below before you go. And remember, “Quality, not quantity”: Drink responsibly and don’t drive after imbibing.
Winterfest Tickets
Early Entry – Enter at 1pm & receive a taster glass to enjoy first dibs on beers from 75+ participating Hoosier breweries and guests, with a smaller crowd size and shorter lines. Early Entry guests will also receive a limited edition Winterfest pint glass upon exit.
General Admission – Enter at 2 p.m. and receive a taster glass good for unlimited 3 oz. pours of local beer, cider and craft cocktails.
Designated Drivers – Enter anytime & enjoy unlimited water, soda, and samples of NA beverages from DD vendors.
No refunds or exchanges. This is an all-weather (rain, snow, sleet, or shine) event.
Winterfest Breweries & Guests
AS OF 9/17/2024
10-56 Brewing & Catering
Cedar Creek Brewing Co.
Damsel Brew Pub
Four Day Ray Brewing
Hog Molly Brewing Co.
Mad Anthony Brewing Company
Studebaker Brewing Co.
Urban Vines
Winterfest Sponsors & Vendors
We love building our Indiana craft beer community! Our vendor selection is unique to our event and features local and regional artisans, businesses, and nonprofits. Please help us support Indiana LOCAL by going to websites, following socials, and buying plenty of goods while you enjoy this year’s fest. The State fairgrounds provides food for this event via concession stands with delicious and grandstand style eats for your belly. If you would like more information on how to become a vendor, please reach out to shanna@drinkin.beer.
Below is a sampling of vendors who participated in 2024!
Pre-Banding
Pre-banded lines are the fastest way to enter the fest!
With 1000s of attendees for the festival, we’ve added more options to get you banded and get you into the event as fast as possible! Pre-banding locations will be posted here as they’re confirmed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before the Beer Fest
Because technology-related issues such as glare on phones and internet connectivity can dramatically slow down entrance for all attendees, it’s always best to bring a printed copy if you can. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. Rest assured that we’re focused on getting everyone in to enjoy our festivals as quickly as possible and have found that scanning from phones significantly delays this. However, we’re always looking at ways to improve the festival experience, including using technology to scan phones without having to increase ticket prices or delay entry.
PLEASE HAVE YOUR VALID 21+ ID AND PRINTED TICKET READY.
Get your wristband before Winterfest by stopping by one of our prebanding locations which will allow you to get into the event more quickly by using designated pre-banded entry lanes. All attendees must bring their 21+ IDs and tickets to pre-band. Everyone in your party who would like to be pre-banded must be present: Wristbands may not be picked up for those who are not present. A lot of people may show up for pre-banding, so grab a beer, chat with your fellow fest-goers while you wait, and grab a bite to eat.
Tickets are available online, and at the gate while they last. Want a chance to win tickets? Check out the #IndyWinterfest hashtag online, and follow your favorite Indiana breweries on social media for chances to win.
Local breweries often hold special events the week before Brewers of Indiana Guild festivals. Visit the events page for a list of happenings. If your brewery or organization is hosting an event to celebrate local beer, let us know.
The West Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 E 38th St, Indianapolis, IN 46205
All attendees — even designated drivers — must be 21+ with valid ID. No infants, children, or anyone else under 21 years of age are permitted.
All ticket sales are final, and we can’t assist in reselling tickets. Tickets can be purchased for others, but all attendees must be 21+ with ID. If you haven’t received your receipt with a link to print your tickets, please check your spam folder before contacting us.
As with most large events, Brewers of Indiana Guild beer fests are held rain, snow, or shine and no refunds will be given, so please dress and prepare accordingly.
To ensure everyone’s safety, DDs may not consume alcohol. Those who do will be asked to leave the premises. Designated drivers will receive free soft drinks, water, and coffee and will have access to Non Alcohol beverage samples.
What you CAN bring:
What you CAN’T bring:
To ensure the safety of everyone as well as smooth traffic flow, all designated drivers should drop off/pick up at the designated areas.
Nope! All non-DD ticket holders receive a tasting glass good for as many 3 oz. pours as you can responsibly drink. Brewers of Indiana Guild festivals are opportunities to sample local beer and meet local brewers: They are not races to drink as much as you can. Anyone who appears to be intoxicated will be denied additional samples and may be deemed to be in violation of local public intoxication statutes.
Bottled water will be available for purchase and at water stations throughout the event, and water stations will be available for refills. You may bring in sealed, clear bottles of water, but no filled CamelBaks (empty are fine) or other unsealed containers containing liquid. See the full list of permitted/prohibited items above. Designated drivers will receive free soft drinks and water at the DD stands, as well as free coffee. DDs are not permitted to drink alcohol.
Though most vendors will accept cards, we encourage you to stop at an ATM beforehand to get cash for food and merchandise.
See the list of breweries and beer the week leading up to the event here, and check out #IndyWinterfest online to see what your favorite breweries are bringing.
If you won tickets on social media from Brewers of Indiana Guild, email info@drinkIN.beer for details on claiming them. If you won tickets from another organization, please contact them for details on claiming.
As always, we encourage you to cycle, walk, carpool, or take Lyft, Uber, or a taxi. Parking will be available at the Fairgrounds for $10.
Wherever you park, neither the Brewers of Indiana Guild nor the event host facility can be held responsible for your vehicle. You may park at the Indiana State Fairgrounds overnight as long as you pick up your vehicle the next day.
Save money by purchasing in advance but as long as the event isn’t a sell-out, tickets will be available at an increased price onsite. Designated Driver tickets will only be available until GA sell out.
If you or a member of your party have an emergency, seek out the nearest police or security officer, volunteer captain, or staff person for immediate help. Help will also be available at the entrance/exit gate.
Smoking is prohibited except for the designated smoking area shown on the event map.
If you have questions about the locations of breweries, first aid, or anything else, the Volunteer Captains in brightly colored shirts will be able to guide you.
No. Tickets will be scanned upon initial entry and can’t be scanned again.
If you’d like to cover the event for promotional or news purposes, please contact us. If you’re a member of the media and would like to cover the event, please email us before January 30 so you can be placed on our media list before the event. Media access requires credentials and a valid ticket.
When almost everyone arrives and starts drinking at the same time at a beer fest, almost everyone seems to have to use the restroom at the same time. Which sometimes means lines. At each one of our annual festivals, we keep tabs on lines, and after the event, we work with the portable toilet companies to find out which placements received heavy traffic and which didn’t so we can improve the following year’s layout. And we add more portalets when necessary. We’ve found that guests gravitate to the toilets with the longest lines, likely because they’re the most visible. So based on years of experience, we recommend that you carefully review the map and brewery booth locations. We may move portable toilets based on the prior year’s usage, so take note of where the restrooms are, just as you would an emergency exit.
No. Beer will only be dispensed into the tasting glass you receive at the door. Breweries will not dispense beer into anything other than the official taster glass.
Non-DD ticket holders will receive a commemorative tasting glass good for as many 3 oz. pours as you can responsibly drink.
The event ends promptly at 6 p.m. on Saturday. All attendees will be asked to exit the grounds at that time.
As always, we encourage you to drink responsibly and drive only when sober. DD ticket holders receive complimentary coffee, soft drinks, and water. DDs may not consume alcohol. Volunteers will direct designated drivers not attending the event to the designated pickup locations.
Volunteers will direct designated drivers not attending the event to the pickup locations.
If you lost an item at the festival, visit Lost & Found at the Drink Indiana Beer merchandise booth or contact us after the festival.
Your ticket price directly supports the Brewers of Indiana Guild, the nonprofit trade association that represents Indiana’s craft breweries.
Ticket sales also make the fest possible for you to enjoy, and a portion of every ticket sold benefits our charity partners.