Entering its 16th Year, Bigfork Brewfest is On Tap Once Again
Almost 20 beer and cider makers will be represented at the annual event in downtown Bigfork on Saturday, March 1
By Mike Kordenbrock
Now in its 16th year, the Bigfork Brewfest is returning this weekend to the community’s downtown center, where attendees can expect a Saturday filled with live music, food trucks, and opportunities to sample beer from almost 20 different Montana beer and cider producers.
Represented at this year’s festival are Bias Brewing, Big Mountain Ciderworks, Bitter Root Brewing, Blacksmith Brewing Company, Branding Iron Brewing Company, Butte Brewing Company, Cranky Sam Brewing, Flathead Lake Brewing Co., Glacier Brewing Company, Highlander Beer, Jeremiah Johnson and Black Star, Meadow Lark Brewing, Ronan Cooperative Brewery, Sacred Waters Brewing Company, SunRift Beer Company, Tamarack Brewing Company, Patriotic American Brewing, Lewis and Clark Brewing Co., and Montana Ciderworks.
Darcie Fast, who is one of the organizers for the festival, noted that while some brewfests have gotten away from having actual brewers in attendance, that’s still the a point of emphasis at the Bigfork event.
“It’s kind of fun to pick their brains about what they’re doing, how they’re doing it, what they have coming up,” Fast said.
As Fast explained, the brewfest gives locals a reason to get out and socialize, while also raising money that’s reinvested into the community. Organized by a nonprofit called Bigfork Innovations Group, of which Fast is president, the festival raises money for the group, which then distributes funds throughout the community.
Recipients of funding from the Bigfork Innovations Group include: Bigfork ACES; the Ferndale and Bigfork Fire Departments; Flathead Lake Park and the Bigfork Children’s Playhouse Theater; North Shore Nordic Club; Bigfork High School Cave Club; the Scott Vallely Soldier’s Memorial Fund; the Dane Christian Nelson Memorial Fund; the Bigfork Whitewater Festival; the Riverbend Concert Series; and various high school sports and scholarships.
The Bigfork Innovations Group is also behind events like the Bigfork Monday Market, Bigfork Ciderfest and the Bigfork Kids Bike Exchange.
The Bigfork Innovations Group became a nonprofit about six years ago, Fast said, while the festival has raised $78,000 between 2019 and 2024.
“We’re so busy in the summertime, and this is the one time that we can take over the street, throw out some heat lamps, drink some beers, discuss beer, discuss whatever,” Fast said. “It’s got such a vibe to it where everybody’s just in a good mood.”
Live music will be provided by the Tommy Edwards Band, and Fast said there will also be food trucks on site.
The festival takes place along Electric Avenue in downtown Bigfork, which will remain open to pedestrians. Festival tickets give those who buy them the opportunity to sample the various beers and ciders at the festival. Puchase of a ticket comes with a wrist band and a glass for beer sampling. Tickets are $40 if bought in advance online, and $45 at the gate.
Fast said that with parking so limited in the area, it can sometimes be tricky for people to find a spot. With that in mind, she noted that there are a number of ways people can try to make the search for parking easier by taking different shuttles to the festival.
There will be free shuttles running from Bethany Lutheran Church and the Bigfork Crossroads Church from 12:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m., with shuttles running every half hour.
Round-trip bus rides are available from SunRift in Kalispell, Glacier Brewing Company in Polson, and Tamarack Brewing in Lakeside for $10. In each case the buses or vans will pick people up at 5:30 p.m. in the same locations where they were originally dropped off at the festival. Fast said the SunRift bus is set to depart at noon and drop riders off at the elementary school, the Glacier Brewing bus will depart Polson at 11:30 a.m. and drop people off at the new parking lot in downtown Bigfork, and the ride from Tamarack will depart at 12:10 p.m.
For people who drive themselves, parking will be prohibited on both sides of River Street and the north end of Osborn Avenue, and traffic on Electric Avenue will be restricted to residents and emergency vehicles via a one-way southbound lane. According to a public service announcement from Flathead County, the best access is to use park Drive and park in the Grand Drive lot.
The Bigfork Brewfest goes from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 1. For more information, including to purchase tickets online, go to https://bigforkbrewfest.com/.