Sign In

Thank you for signing up to pour with us 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 and/or need any clarifications, please reach out to Julia at julia@drinkin.beer or by phone/text at 765.620.0153

DATE

Saturday, February 8, 2025

1pm Early Entry Ticketholders  |   2-6 pm General Admission Ticketholders

LOCATION

West Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

1202 E. 38th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46205

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:

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

On your behalf, the Guild will secure your permit for this festival by sending one blanket permit request to the ATC. This will be accomplished by using one of your 45 annual “festival” permits. 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

All participating breweries may give away 2 GA tickets each! Our event press kit will be posted soon where you’ll have access to all Winterfest 2025 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.

FESTIVAL MAP

The layout of the festival will be posted by the end of January. This is where you’ll find your tent letter and booth number for labeling your beer and to see where you’ll be set up for the event.

LOAD IN

Friday, February 7 |  2 p.m. – 5 p.m. (vehicles must be out by 4:45 p.m.)

Saturday, February 8  |  10 a.m. – 12 p.m. (vehicles must be out by 11:45 p.m.)

Enter the Fairgrounds through the Fall Creek entrance. The brewer entrance to the West Pavilion is located on the South end 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 truck will be available on site for product deliveries. All of the products that you will be serving on Saturday will be delivered to your booth that morning. Beer deliveries will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday morning. Do not grab ice without communicating with a BIG 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 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 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Please plan to send a representative to the Brewers’ Hideout in the northeast quadrant of the building (near the concessions stands) for a brief pre-fest meeting at 12:00 p.m.

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 stipend. Stipend checks will be processed by February 17.

If you are bringing cask beers, they will be included in your brewery’s stipend count along with the other beer you bring. Breweries owning Guild-provided pins must fill them to be served in the Cask Tent. Breweries that don’t own a Guild-provided pin may still provide beer for the Cask Tent.

 

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, an 8′ table, and two chairs for each booth.

TENTS

You’re welcome 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.

 

 ADDITIONAL NOTES