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Winterfest Brewery Logistics

Thank you for signing up to pour with us or participate as a vendor at Winterfest – we’re looking forward to a fantastic event! To ensure a safe and fun event for all please carefully review all the information below and share it with your Winterfest team.  Below are all the details you’ll need to know.

If you have any questions or need any clarifications, please reach out to Julia at julia@drinkin.beer or by phone/text at 765.620.0153

DATE

Saturday, February 7, 2026
1-6p Early Entry Ticketholders  |   2-6p General Admission Ticketholders

LOCATION

West Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds
1202 E. 38th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46205

FESTIVAL MAP

Check out the 2026 Festival Map online here! Please note that the map is still a work in progress as I continue to add vendors into the various sections. Your section won’t change, but your spot in that section could depending on this month’s vendor signups. So, please consider this a working document. My intention is to have numbers assigned within the sections by January 26.

BREWERS TICKETS

Unique links will be directly emailed to your Winterfest contact with instructions on securing your tickets for the event. This year, we’re offering the following, ALL of which must be secured by your team online in advance of the event:

VENDOR TICKETS

Vendors will receive (2) bands upon arrival for those working your booths. If you need additional, please reach out to Julia in advance.

BREWERS PARKING PASSES

Each attending brewery will be mailed, in mid-January, (1) one vehicle parking pass for the event. The State Fairgrounds have asked us to remind everyone that there is no parking on the West and South Sides of the building (including during load-in and load-out) as this is a fire lane that must be kept clear for everyone’s safety. If you forget your parking pass you will be charged $10 for a replacement.

PERMIT FOR SERVING ALCOHOL

Please apply with the ATC to use one of your 60 annual “festival/expo” permits for this event. If you have questions about this, please let us know.

BEER ON TAP

Submit your beer list online in advance by adding the beers you’ll be bringing along on this form here: https://drinkin.beer/winterfest-beers-on-tap-form

PRESS KIT

Check out the Winterfest Press Kit items here. Additionally, all participating breweries may give away 2 GA tickets each! Our event press is where you’ll have access to all Winterfest marketing assets as well as previous photos and video.  Please post online as much as you’re able to help drive attendance to this event and to your booth.

LOAD IN – BREWERS AND VENDORS

Friday, February 6 | 2-5p (vehicles must be out by 5p)

Saturday, February 7  |  10a-12p (vehicles must be out by 11:45a)

The brewer/vendor entrance to the West Pavilion is located on the South side of the building. The State Fairgrounds have asked us to remind everyone that there is no parking on the West and South Sides of the building (including during load-in and load-out) as this is a fire lane that must be kept clear for everyone’s safety.

A refrigerated trailer will be available on site for Friday afternoon product dropoffs. All of the products that you will be serving on Saturday will be delivered to your booth that morning. Beer deliveries will begin at 11a Saturday morning. Do not grab ice without communicating with a Guild staff member or volunteer captain.

If you bring beer over during Friday check in, IT IS IMPERATIVE that you label it with your brewery name, contact person, tent letter and spot number. Please check the map in advance for this information. This will ensure it gets to you quickly on Saturday and doesn’t end up with the wrong brewery.

To make load-in easier and to minimize confusion, please allow yourself extra time for any delays. Traffic around the Fairgrounds can be busy, and late arrival can cause difficulties for you and others. With the large number of participants, you’ll want to arrive and set up as early as possible. All booths must be set up by 12:30p on Saturday. Please plan to send a representative to the Brewers’ Hideout in the southeast quadrant of the building for a brief pre-fest meeting at 12p.

AVAILABLE PRODUCT AND STIPENDS

Participating breweries should bring no less than 30 gallons of beer (or an equivalent for other non-beer craft producers) to the event, earning a $375 participation stipend. Stipend checks will be processed by February 13 and will arrive to you the following week. If you are bringing cask beers, they will be included in your brewery’s stipend count along with the other beer you bring. If you’re signed up to bring a VIP sample, please communicate with Julia about an additional stipend.

SERVING ALCOHOL

Please ensure that everyone on your team has their valid server’s permit on hand, and that guests visiting your booth are not over-served. Please do not dispense alcohol into any other vessel than the sample glasses given to each attendee.

ELECTRICITY

Electricity will not be provided to your booth unless prior arrangements have been made.

ICE, TABLES, CHAIRS

The Guild will provide ice (for brewers), an 8′ table, and two chairs for each booth.

TENTS

You’re HIGHLY ENCOURAGED & RECOMMENDED to bring a standard-sized popup tent – up to 10’x10′ – to use in your booth space.  If you are bringing a tent, please ensure that you still leave 10′ of space for breweries next to you that don’t have a tent. There will not be pipe provided to hang banners from any longer.

 ADDITIONAL NOTES