The 2026 Great Taste of the Midwest was held August 8, 2026. 2027 dates haven't been announced yet. !
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The Great Taste of the Midwest is the second longest-running craft beer festival in North America, established in 1987. Organized entirely by volunteers from the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild, a local nonprofit homebrewing club, the festival features approximately 200 breweries and brewpubs serving around 1,400 different beers in a lakeside setting at Olin Park on the shores of Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin. The inaugural 1987 event featured nine Wisconsin breweries. Recognized by USA Today as one of the "Top 10 Best Beer Festivals," it is widely regarded as one of the premier craft beer events in the country. Proceeds are donated to local charities.
In 1987, Carol Tollefson of Hibernia Brewing in Eau Claire approached the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild — a nonprofit homebrewing club formed in 1983 — with an idea inspired by the Great American Beer Festival: a craft beer celebration for the Midwest. The Guild provided the venue (the Italian Workmen's Club), and the inaugural Great Taste of the Midwest featured nine Wisconsin breweries. At a time when craft beer barely existed in the region, it was a statement of faith in what was coming.
Nearly four decades later, that faith has been spectacularly vindicated. The Great Taste of the Midwest is now the second longest-running craft beer festival in North America, featuring approximately 200 breweries and brewpubs pouring around 1,400 different beers in a five-hour afternoon session at Olin Park on the shores of Lake Monona, with the Wisconsin State Capitol rising in the background. What makes it extraordinary is that every aspect of the festival — from planning and logistics to pouring and cleanup — is organized and executed entirely by volunteers from the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild. There are no corporate event producers, no management companies, no paid staff. Proceeds go directly to local charities.
Tickets are capped at roughly 6,400 and are distributed through a combination of in-person sales at six Madison-area breweries on the first Sunday in May and an online lottery — a system that has become a ritual in itself. They sell out every year. Named one of the "Top 10 Best Beer Festivals" by USA Today, the Great Taste has earned its reputation not through spectacle but through substance: brewers attend in person to pour their own beer, the lakeside setting is among the most beautiful of any festival in the country, and the whole operation runs on the volunteer passion of people who simply love good beer. In an era of VIP packages and tiered pricing, the Great Taste remains refreshingly democratic — one ticket, unlimited two-ounce samples, no velvet ropes.
Attendance
~6,400 (ticket cap)
Tier
Tier 1
2027 dates not yet announced
The last edition was held August 8, 2026. when 2027 dates are announced.
Check event dates for details
Olin Park
Olin Park, Madison, WI 53715
📍
Madison, Wisconsin
Want the Loudest Burp and Longest Burp championships at Great Taste of the Midwest? Sign up and we'll tell you when Burp Fest is coming.
Great Taste of the Midwest 2027 dates have not been announced yet. Check back for updates!
Great Taste of the Midwest is held at Olin Park, Olin Park, Madison, WI 53715.
Ticket pricing for Great Taste of the Midwest 2027 has not been announced yet. Check the official website for updates.
Burp Fest is planning to bring its burping contest to Great Taste of the Midwest. 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 Great Taste of the Midwest.
Previous editions of Great Taste of the Midwest.
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