Burp Fest at Wild West Brew Fest 2026

The Wild West Brew Fest exists because a Katy, Texas Rotarian named David Loesch biked into Breckenridge, Colorado and stumbled onto something that changed his community. Loesch attended the Breckenridge Rotary Club Brew Fest and immediately saw the potential: a craft beer festival that could raise serious money for local charities while giving a fast-growing Houston suburb something to rally around. He brought the idea back to the Rotary Club of Katy, and in 2010 a small team of volunteers secured 10 to 15 brewers and hoped for the best. To their amazement, 1,700 people showed up to the inaugural event, and that first brew fest enabled the Katy Rotary Club to give back approximately $17,000 to the community.

From those modest beginnings, Wild West Brew Fest has grown into one of the most celebrated beer festivals in the country. Attendance has climbed from around 1,000 to over 10,000 visitors, and the brewery count has swelled to more than 100 pouring over 600 varieties. The festival moved to Typhoon Texas waterpark — a venue that gives it an identity no other beer fest can claim — and expanded to a three-day format with a free Thursday kick-off, a Friday launch party, and the signature Saturday main event. BeerYeti.com has ranked it the number-one beer fest in North America for multiple consecutive years. More importantly, every dollar of net proceeds goes directly to charity. The Rotary Club of Katy takes zero fees, and the festival is run entirely by volunteers. To date, Wild West Brew Fest has raised and donated over $1.5 million to local charities, including scholarships for Katy ISD students, grants to area nonprofits, and FFA project assistance — proof that a good idea, a cold beer, and a community of volunteers can build something extraordinary.