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6th annual Steveston Beer Festival pours in this weekend

It’s become a summer staple in Richmond, so much so that it now sells out in less than one day and it’s coming to town on Saturday: the Steveston Beer Fest.
steveston beer fest
Steveston Beer Fest/Facebook

It’s become a summer staple in Richmond, so much so that it now sells out in less than one day and it’s coming to town on Saturday: the Steveston Beer Fest.

Put on annually by O’Hare’s GastroPub and Liquor Store, this year’s festival will bring together 45 breweries – up from the typically 40 – to allow guests to sample local brews and local snacks. 500 people are expected to attend and more than 150 beers will be available to sample.

“We’ve got a really great lineup of beer this year…mostly from B.C., but some from other parts of the world,” said pub operator Grant Bryan.

“It’s a great community event. The majority of people are from Steveston so the crowd of 500 know each other and that’s really nice because you wander around and it’s a pool of people high-fiving and hugging.”

Even with the event’s success, Bryan said it’s unlikely they’ll consider relocating to a location with more capacity, explaining that the Gulf of Georgia Cannery provides the perfect atmosphere.

“It’s so nice to have an event in the village. It wouldn’t be the same event if we rented a kind of larger ballroom in the centre of Richmond…it wouldn’t have that same, unique charm,” he said. “The venue is very Steveston.”

Every year, a part of the proceeds from the event goes to local non-profits. This year, $12,000 will be donated to the Richmond Christmas Fund, which mobilizes the community’s spirit of giving to make holiday wishes come true for low-income Richmond residents each year.

“It’s a great fund. It helps people who are having a hard time, just gives them a leg up for Christmas,” Bryan said. “The need for the Christmas Fund is getting greater, year by year so we’re happy to donate.”

Tomorrow’s donation will bring the total O’Hare’s has given to the Christmas Fund up to $75,000.

For those without tickets interested in attending, the event is unfortunately sold out. However, on the event’s Facebook page, a post has been created to help individuals buy or sell tickets.