Photo by Jennifer.
It’s festival season, and not the kind that involves bands and teenage girls wearing flower crowns. These festivals are all about the adult beverages, with the occasional side of food or music thrown in. Every weekend this May features at least one or more alcohol-driven festival, covering everything from beer to cocktails. Gird your livers and mark your calendars.
VinoFest
When: Saturday, May 9, 3-10 pm
Where: Storey Park (1005 First St NE)
This wine and music festival is returning for a second year, this time with QuestLove as the entertainment headliner. Oneophiles can sample wines from over 25 different vineyards, with a focus on Virginia wines. And because the Shenandoah is no Napa Valley, there will also be other domestic and international vintners on hand, meaning attendees won’t be limited to local grapes. Food trucks like Red Hook Lobster Pound and Dirty South Deli will also be present to feed hungry concertgoers.
Tickets are $60 for general admission or $84 for VIP (includes two hour early admission with open bar and a wine education class).
D.C. Craft Beer and Cider Festival
When: Saturday, May 9 from 1-9:30 p.m., with two different tasting sessions starting at 1 and 6 p.m.
Where: Convention Center (801 Mt Vernon Pl NW)
This is one of the biggest festivals, featuring nearly 100 different breweries, cideries, and mead makers, with roughly half from the D.C. area. Cider will be a particularly strong focus, with 30 different varieties available for tasting. The festival has also partnered with culinary incubator Mess Hall to provide food and snacks.
Tickets are $50 for regular admission or $67 for VIP (includes an extra hour of tasting). Attendees choose between either the afternoon (1-4:30 p.m.) or evening (6-9:30 p.m.) session.
ABV
When: Saturday, May 16 from 3-8 p.m.
Where: Canal Park (2nd and L St SE)
ABV is a new festival highlighting craft beer, wine, and spirits—in other words, it’s got something for every kind of drinker. ABV also has some boozy star power behind it: The event was conceived by Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s Greg Engert, Jeff Faile, and Brent Kroll. You may have seen them behind the bar at ChurchKey, Birch and Barley, The Partisan, or Iron Gate, and chances are good that they served you something thoughtful and delicious. Expect rare, funky, and obscure potables that will delight booze nerds. Red Apron will provide the food, and there will also be live music and yard games.
Tickets are $20 for general admission (includes one pour), $65 for advance tickets (includes 10 pours), or $85 for VIP (includes 10 pours plus VIP lounge). Additional food and drinks can be purchased individually.
Margarita Wars
When: Thursday, May 21 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Yards Park (301 Water Street SE)
The City Paper is bringing back Margarita Wars for the third year running. The event features an audience-judged margarita contest with 18 competing bartenders, plus unlimited tequila tastings. And, as we all know, nothing bad has ever come of free flowing tequila. Consider taking that Friday off if you’re planning to go hard at this one.
Tickets are $27 and can be purchased here.
D.C. Bacon and Beer Festival
When: Sunday, May 31 from 2:30 – 5 p.m.
Where: Penn Social (801 E St NW)
This is D.C.’s second year hosting the Bacon and Beer Festival, where attendees can nosh on bacon-y snacks and wash it down with craft beer. Proceeds benefit Food & Friends, so you can feel good while stuffing your face with smoked pork and malted barley. Participating breweries include Adroit Theory, Devils Backbone, Dogfish Head, Full Tilt, Mad Fox Brewery, Port City, Sam Adams, and Starr Hill. There will also be noms from over a dozen local restaurants, including Art and Soul, Dino’s Grotto, GBD, Kangaroo Boxing Club, Macon Bistro, Tico, and Wagshal’s.
Tickets are $45 for regular admission or $60 for ballers (no difference in experience, except you get to call yourself a baller apparently). Tickets go on sale on Monday, May 11 at 10 a.m. Last year the event sold out in four hours, so set a calendar reminder.
