I don’t want to confuse y’all, but it’s well nigh impossible not to when the next month brings, I kid you not, the Nashville Brew Festival, the Tennessee Beer and Wine Festival and the Nashville Beer Festival (& Wine!) But let this possible confusion be a cautionary tale of how to distinguish what should be a good festival with what might be, well …, not so good.
I’ll probably end up speaking in some sweeping generalizations, but I’ve been to a lot of these festivals and have learned to pick up the warning signs. I promise I won’t tell you something that isn’t already published on an event website, but the final judgement should of course be up to you, the consumer.
First, the good. The second annual Nashville Brew Festival is returning to First Tennessee Park this Saturday, Sept. 24, now that our Nashville Sounds have ended their season prematurely with a first-round playoff exit. I did not get to attend the Nashville Brew festival last year, but folks who did have told me it was an entertaining, well-run event that could have stood for a bigger crowd to make it feel a little more festive.
The festival promises tastings from dozens of local and domestic craft beers which are prominently listed on the festival website. That’s a good sign. It’s always a positive when both longtime and new local craft breweries are represented in a festival’s offering. Plus all the focus is on beer.
The Nashville Beer Festival will also offer food trucks, live music and lawn games. General admission begins at 1 p.m. and VIP starts at noon. The fun ends at 4, so show up as early as you can. The event is 21-and-over, and no pets are allowed.
For more information and to purchase the $40 tickets, go to nashvillebrewfestival.com
Tickets will be available at the door for $10 more than online, and cash only.
The second event is a long-time returnee, the Tennessee Beer & Wine Festival, on Saturday, Oct. 15, at Two Rivers Mansion at 3130 McGavock Pike. This festival has been taking place in the same footprint since 2010, and has donated more than $100,000 to charities in the Donelson Hermitage area through the years, including Two Rivers Mansion, Exchange Family Center, Fifty Forward Donelson Center, Gateway Project of Donelson, Buchanan Log Home, Leadership Donelson Hermitage, Donelson Hermitage Chamber of Commerce, Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce, Holy Rosary Academy and Bambini Montessori.
Lots of local and regional breweries and wineries have already signed up to participate this year, ready to offer tastes to a large and organized crowd — more than 1,700 people last year. Early-bird tickets are still available until Oct. 5 for just $30 and include almost 100 beers and wines to taste in 4-ounce samples. You’ll also receive a commemorative tasting glass, a day of wandering the lovely grounds of Two Rivers while shopping at booths of artisans and their wares, live music and buy-one-get-one-free beers at the TBWF after-the-festival party at Scoreboard Smokehouse Bar and Grill. Join the crowd on Music Valley Drive and enjoy 50% off your first appetizer when you wear your festival wristband.
Now for the one that sets my Spidey senses to tingling. The Nashville Beer Festival is not a new event or anything; in fact this is the sixth iteration of the festival, which will be held 3 to 8 p.m. at the Musicians Hall of Fame on Saturday, Oct. 22. Tickets are a little steeper than the others at $55, but they also include admission to the hall, which is a really cool museum. And the website does say the event benefits “Children's Health through Cupid Charities/Children's Tumor Foundation.” So that’s good, too.
But here’s where I start to get nervous. First of all, even in the sixth year, the event website looks like a Geocities creation. The front page actually begs for promotion by reaching out to “Wow, so many #babes and #hot guys!! Contact us to become a Fest Ambassador & earn comped ticket!” The bottom of the page actually still lists the location as being at Riverfront Park, so don’t go there. But you’ll probably never read that far anyway, before your eyes start to bleed from the cramped type and bizarre layout.
I, myself, have been guilty of overusing exclamation points, but nothing like this page. They even try to get you excited about paying almost double for the chance to get in an hour early: “Get ur tkts early before they sell out! Only $55! VIP is $100 incl. one hour early entrance & delish meal. Tkts have sold out every year, get yours early!” Can't you just picture Guy Fieri saying something like this?
If you do start clicking through the awkward tabs at the top of the page, you’ll only end up deeper down the rabbit hole of confusion, with a volunteer page that shouts “Hank you from the NashBeerFest!” I don’t think Hank done it this-a-way. Now judging by the photo tab, this is certainly an attractive crowd, so good on you if you attend. But I was more interested in what breweries would actually be exhibiting if I was going to come off of $100 to attend.
Unfortunately, as of a month out, there are no breweries listed, although you can still apply to be a part of it. Again, good on you. There is still a list of last year's participating breweries, which include only three local breweries and such crafty favorites as Falls City, Yuengling, Blue Moon, Leinenkugel and Woodchuck. You can buy a lot of cheap cider for $100, I’m just sayin’ …
You can also still apply to be a vendor at what they promise to be “a premier event that reaches prime demographic groups in Nashville, the Midsouth, and the entire region.” I’d have to say there’s at least some honesty to this assessment, because that prime demographic does not include me. But if you were hoping to be the official hookah sponsor, I’m afraid it’s already too late.
In an effort to try to figure this baffling festival and website out, I searched until I found an FAQ. Yeah, that didn’t help much. I did discover a listing of entertainment options including “the Sweet '16 Costume Party” and the promise of “frolicsome Beer Girls.” The dress code was elucidated thusly: “Costumes are (almost) mandatory for the Beerfest!!! Creative costumes, offbeat outfits & funky finery are welcomed!” But they’re not too uptight about it, also stating “Wear whatever you want (within reason!). No shoes, no shirt, no problem!”
But my absolute favorite portion of the entire mess of a website was this exchange of q&a’s that I swear are listed consecutively at the bottom of the FAQ:
“What is the age restriction for the Festival?
You must be 21 or older to attend the Festival. All guests’ picture IDs will be checked at the entrance.
Are children allowed?
Yes! Kids of all ages are welcome at the Festival”
Err … OK.
So am I being too harsh on this event? Maybe. I admit I’ve never attended it and there’s not a chance in hell that I would based on how they present themselves. And I cannot in good conscience recommend an event like this after I’ve been party to debacles like the infamous Beer, Bacon and Burlesque festival of a few years back.
But I offer this as something to think about as it is quite confusing to figure out which of these festivals are which, since they all have such similar names. If this sounds like your bag, by all means check it out and report back in the comments about it. Just don’t take your kids. Or do.
