SKOWHEGAN — On Saturday, Sept. 2 more than 1,000 attendees from New England and beyond will gather in downtown Skowhegan for the annual Skowhegan Craft Brew Festival. The festival will feature one key difference this year — it will take place overlooking the Kennebec River.
One of the only festivals in the state to feature exclusively Maine craft beer, wine, cider, and spirits, the Skowhegan Craft Brew Festival has spent the last six years on Water Street, shutting traffic down for most of the day on the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend. This year, festival organizers at Main Street Skowhegan wanted to consider alternative options that would bring even more foot traffic to locally owned, downtown businesses before and during the festival, while also eliminating the need to shut down traffic around Skowhegan’s rotary, the intersection of Routes 2 and 201.
“The goal of the brew festival is to bring people to Skowhegan who will spend money at our local merchants and who will want to come back to our town time and again,” said Kristina Cannon, president & CEO of Main Street Skowhegan. “By opening up more on-street parking and hosting the event in the most beautiful part of town—along the breathtaking Kennebec Gorge — we’ll help drive more sales for business while showcasing our greatest asset.”
Cannon and her team polled downtown business owners before making the final request to the municipality to move the festival to the riverfront lot. With the vast majority of business owners preferring the new riverfront location, the decision was easy.
“We are happy to see the riverfront being utilized and are excited for the change,” said Amanda White, owner of Key Appliance.
“Last year the brew fest brought me business that I would not normally have. It will be fantastic to have out back of the shop,” said Kylie Brown, owner of Thrifty Chic at 151 Water Street.
“I think [the new location] will hugely increase my sales for the day,” said Billie Clark, owner of Unwined.
Misner’s Makings and River Roads Artisans Gallery saw increased foot traffic during River Fest when the committee opted to host Saturday activities in the same riverfront location sited for brew fest, so they were in favor of the new location.
Others, like Northern Mattress, anticipate it will be business as usual, and several others are excited to show off Skowhegan’s river views.
“We love to see the river view utilized by people,” said Eli Soll, co-owner of The SPACE on the RIVER.
With nearly 30 brewers anticipated, the event will kick off with a VIP hour at 2 p.m. featuring free local food samples and specialty brews not available during the general session. The general session will include more than 100 different Maine-crafted libations for sampling, while merchants will offer a variety of festival fare from wood-fired pizza featuring all local ingredients to poutine and other indulgent delights.
Live music from solo acts Thomas LeClerk and Adam Babcock will entertain during VIP hour. River Bottom Funk and local favorite Middle Ground will play from 3 to 7 p.m. on opposite ends of the festival.
The Skowhegan Craft Brew Festival is coordinated by nonprofit Main Street Skowhegan, and all proceeds benefit ongoing revitalization efforts in Skowhegan.
Leading sponsors include Skowhegan Savings Bank, Maine Grains, Animal Medical Clinic, Ware Butler, Butler’s Car Wash, Damon’s Beverage Mart, DuBois Construction, Franklin Savings Bank, Hight Family of Dealerships, Key Appliance, Short Circuit Electric, 201 Service, Maine Roof Solutions, and Redington-Fairview General Hospital.
There are limited General Admission tickets on sale now at skowhegancraftbrewfest.com. Festival organizers are encouraging people interested in attending to get their tickets online before sales close on Friday, Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. If any tickets are still available on the day of the event, prices will increase by $5.
Music, brews, food, and riverfront views will create a festive atmosphere in downtown Skowhegan.
“We are excited to host the event in the new location and feel it’s a win-win for all involved,” said Cannon.
For more information, please contact Main Street Skowhegan Executive Director, Kristina Cannon at [email protected] or 207-614-4078.
