Burp Fest at Under Brew Skies 2026

Under Brew Skies emerged from the North Dakota Brewers Guild's effort to give the state's young craft beer industry a public showcase. North Dakota was a late bloomer in the craft beer movement — its oldest legally licensed brewery, Fargo Brewing Company, did not open until 2010, and by 2015 the entire state had just nine craft breweries. The Guild, composed of passionate brewers and dedicated partners, organized Under Brew Skies as a way to rally public support for an industry that was still proving it belonged. The festival initially took root at Island Park in downtown Fargo before moving to the Bismarck Municipal Ballpark, establishing itself as the state's premier craft beer gathering.

The festival hit a rough patch during the pandemic years, enduring a three-year dry spell that tested its staying power. In 2022, the North Dakota Brewers Guild partnered with Bonanzaville USA to bring Under Brew Skies back, this time in West Fargo. The event found a new permanent home at The Lights (Essentia Health Plaza), an outdoor entertainment venue that suits the festival's open-air, prairie-sky atmosphere. The 2025 edition featured almost 20 local beverage purveyors — including notable North Dakota names like Drekker Brewing, Laughing Sun Brewing, Fargo Brewing, and Half Brothers Brewing — alongside regional guests from Minnesota and South Dakota. At just $25 a ticket, Under Brew Skies is one of the most affordable craft beer festivals in the country, a deliberate choice that reflects the Guild's mission: making craft beer accessible and building a community around it, one pour at a time. Proceeds support the Guild's ongoing advocacy, education, and promotion of North Dakota's craft brewing industry and its ties to the state's agricultural producers.