The 2026 Philly Beer Week was held May 29 - June 7, 2026. 2027 dates haven't been announced yet. !
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Philly Beer Week is the nation's oldest and largest beer week, first held in March 2008 as the inaugural beer week event in the United States. Founded by a group of local beer enthusiasts, bar owners, brewers, and distributors, the event was originally led by President Tom Peters of Monk's Cafe, Vice President Bruce Nichols of Museum Catering, and Executive Director Don Russell (known as Joe Sixpack). The organizing body was later renamed from Philly Beer Week Inc. to Philly Loves Beer, a nonprofit that entertains, educates, and engages through hosting, producing, and promoting beer events.
Spanning 10 days across Philadelphia and the broader Delaware Valley region, Philly Beer Week features over 1,000 events at 200+ participating restaurants, breweries, and beer stores. Events include beer festivals, tastings, pairing dinners, brunches, homebrew competitions, tap takeovers, and pub crawls. The festival has drawn an estimated 150,000 attendees in recent years, making it one of the largest beer events in the country. Its first year in 2008 featured more than 300 events, growing to 700 by 2009.
The 2025 edition faced challenges following the death of longtime organizer Rich Colli, with the event taking a more grassroots approach as individual bars and breweries announced their own programming. Specific dates for 2026 have not yet been announced, though Philadelphia is expected to host several major events that year including the FIFA World Cup, the nation's semiquincentennial, and the Craft Brewers Conference (April 19-24 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center).
Before there was a beer week anywhere in America, there was Philly Beer Week. The idea came together in 2007 when a group of Philadelphia beer obsessives -- bar owners, brewers, distributors, and writers -- decided their city's deep beer culture deserved a formal celebration. Tom Peters of Monk's Cafe served as president, Bruce Nichols of Museum Catering as vice president, and beer columnist Don Russell, better known by his pen name Joe Sixpack, as executive director. On March 7, 2008, they launched the nation's first-ever beer week with a ceremonial Opening Tap, using a custom-forged Hammer of Glory to crack the first keg. More than 300 events were held across the city that inaugural year. By 2009, the number swelled to 700, and the decentralized, grassroots model -- where individual bars, breweries, and restaurants program their own events -- became the template that over 100 cities worldwide would eventually copy.
Philly Beer Week grew into a ten-day, citywide phenomenon drawing an estimated 150,000 attendees to more than 200 venues across Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley. Events ranged from tap takeovers and pub crawls to pairing dinners and homebrew competitions. The Opening Tap ceremony and Hammer of Glory became beloved traditions, often attended by local politicians including former Mayor Michael Nutter. The organizing body, later renamed Philly Loves Beer, operated as a nonprofit that entertained, educated, and engaged the public through beer events year-round.
The community was shaken in February 2025 when Rich Colli, the 44-year-old owner of Varga Bar who had become the driving force behind Philly Beer Week's operations, died unexpectedly from hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Colli had served as a volunteer board member for Philly Loves Beer for years, handling the unglamorous logistics that kept the sprawling festival running. His death left the 2025 edition without a central organizer, and individual bars stepped up to carry on the tradition in a fully grassroots format. The future of Philly Beer Week's formal structure remains uncertain, but the spirit of the event -- a city that loves beer, celebrating together -- endures. Philadelphia is not just the birthplace of American beer weeks; it remains the standard against which all others are measured.
Founded
2008
Organizer
Philly Loves Beer (formerly Philly Beer Week Inc.)
Breweries
200+
Beers
Not available
Attendance
150,000
Tier
Major
2027 dates not yet announced
The last edition was held May 29 - June 7, 2026. when 2027 dates are announced.
10 days
Citywide (200+ venues)
Various locations throughout Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley
📍
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
200+ breweries
Not available beers to try
Want the Loudest Burp and Longest Burp championships at Philly Beer Week? Sign up and we'll tell you when Burp Fest is coming.
Philly Beer Week 2027 dates have not been announced yet. Check back for updates!
Philly Beer Week is held at Citywide (200+ venues), Various locations throughout Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.
Ticket pricing for Philly Beer Week 2027 has not been announced yet. Check the official website for updates.
Burp Fest is planning to bring its burping contest to Philly Beer Week. Sign up to get notified when details are confirmed.
Burp Fest is the world's premier competitive burping organization. We bring our burping contests to beer festivals across America, giving attendees the chance to compete for glory, trophies, and social media fame.
Sign up on our website and we'll let you know as soon as a Burp Fest contest is confirmed at Philly Beer Week.
Previous editions of Philly Beer Week.
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