On the day
Entertainment
Entertainment


THE VANNS
Rambunctious rock’n’rollers, The VANNS are the lovable reprobates that’ll give you a good time and a heavy hangover. With their dynamic blues tinged rock’n’roll, the four-piece have seduced audiences around the country supporting the likes of Sticky Fingers, The Delta Riggs, and Kingswood. Consisting of Jimmy Vann on vocals/guitar, Lachlan Jones on drums, Tom Switlek on Bass and Cameron Little on guitar/keys, The VANNS live show is loaded with catchy hooks, roaring guitars and unapologetically uplifting energy.

MAST GULLY FELLERS
The Mast Gully Fellers are a band out to create authentic music and have a great time doing it. The instrumentation of Rodger Delfos on Dobro Guitar, Brett Lodding on Double Bass, Shane Godbehere on Banjo and Guitar, and Brett Freeman on Acoustic Guitar, Ukulele and Harmonica, along with the 4 vocals with harmonies, lends itself well to the roots/folk/blues style of original music. The band released their debut EP on Apple iTunes and Spotify in late 2017 and are back hotting the stage this summer.

BUTTERFUNKED
What do you get when nine of Victoria’s most exciting young musicians get together to form aband? You get Butterfunked! Formed in 2017,Butterfunked, 5 female/4 male band, has been taking the region by storm. Butterfunked is sure to knock your socks off with their funky rhythms, killer horn section, cool vocals and original music. Butterfunked is really excited to be a part of Ballarat Beer Festival so come on down to the festival, get dancing and express yourself!

HANA AND JESSIE-LEE APRIL
Hana and Jessie-Lee blend brassy wayward twang with delicate country and soul inflections, leading a seasoned band of Bad Habits that reinforce the eclectic sound they’ve established as their own. They will be joined onstage by three others as together they run wild through monster guitar solos that cascade into mandolin and fiddle lead lines, commanding lyrics and huge multi part harmonies in a magnetic hour of unwavering song that has seen them build a dedicated audience and continue to pack out venues locally and interstate.

CENTRE & THE SOUTH
From humble beginnings launching as a roots duo in 2009 Melbourne’s Centre & The South have evolved to become a reggae roots powerhouse incorporating elements of funk, soul and groove. Centre & The South released their debut album ‘Yadah’ in early 2016 and to celebrate the band toured Australia’s east coast. ‘Yadah’ received critical acclaim across online outlets The Music, Happy Blog, Tonedeaf whiles also charting in both the regional and metro national radio AMRAP charts holding in the Top 10 for over 3 weeks. The release scored airplay across over 150 stations country wide including youth broadcaster Triple J.

MICHAEL MEEKING
Melbourne outfit Michael Meeking & The Lost Souls are excited to release their new album “Saturday Night Sunday Morning”. The culmination of several years of creating the pop-jangled rock sounds the are now embedded on the album forever, Michael Meeking has released an album he is immensely proud of.
Much of Saturday Night Sunday Morning is rooted in the classic Melbourne country-rock sound of bands such as The Dingoes, Weddings Parties Anything and The Warner Brothers.
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ONE NIGHT ONLY THE BLUES BROTHERS REVUE
One Night Only is a soul and RnB revue in the truest sense, breathing new life into the musical masterpieces of The Blues Brothers – a cultural phenomenon that has inspired several generations of cinema goers, music lovers, and car chase aficionados.
Boasting a blistering ten-piece band of Melbourne’s blues royalty – One Night Only is a powerhouse of Chicago Rhythm and Blues. Paul Slattery and James Grimm star in the famous roles of Jake and Elwood Blues, and musical director Ben Wicks has put together a band that’s already earned a reputation for bringing a take-no-prisoners non-stop party wherever it goes.

DJ DOGGLER
Local Melbourne musician spinning an eclectic mix of tunes encompassing some you may know, some you may not.
Spaces
Spaces

The Lakeside
With shade aplenty and Lake Wendouree offering a cooling respite to the summer heat, this is the perfect day to round up your mates, grab a picnic blanket and take in over 20,000 square metres of lakeside beer action.

Gallagher's Friday Night Degustation Dinner
Held the night before the festival, Gallagher’s Friday Night Degustation Dinner provides the best opportunity to mix and mingle with the brewers as you enjoy a delicious 5 course menu served with perfectly matched beers. Hosted by The Beer Diva and Professor Pilsner, the degustation dinner is a huge night on the Australian beer calendar and not to be missed. Tickets are sold separately to the main festival. When tickets go on sale click through to the ticketing page to reserve your spot. The dinner tends to sell out early, so start organising your friends early.
Food & Wine
Food and Wine

Food Stalls
- Farang Thai BBQ
- Just Chips Victoria
- Naughty Frenchy
- Riverina Jerky
- Round The Way Bagels
- Smokehouse720
- The Forge Pizzeria
- The Gypsy’s Lunchbox
- Slinky Spudz

Wineries
- Mitchell Harris Wines
Education Classes and Games
Beer Education Classes

The Sessions - 12 to 1
Get your Master’s Degree in Beerology with the esteemed Professor Pilsner and Beer Diva. Prizes and samples will be on offer throughout the day so make sure you pop by and learn a thing or three. All sessions offer free samples.

The Sessions - 2 to 4

About Professor Pilsner
Professor Pilsner (aka Pete Mitcham) is the Editor In Chief of The Critics’ Choice – Australia’s Best Beers, a contributor to The Beer Lover’s Guide to Australia, and host of beer dinners and tastings through his company, Beer Blokes. A conversation with Prof Pilsner is a rich, bubbly journey through beer’s ongoing evolution.

ABOUT BEER DIVA, KIRRILY WALDHORN
Beer Diva, Kirrily Waldhorn is one of Australia’s go to beer educators. With experience in presenting on radio, TV and a heady list of consultancy, writing and judging in the beer industry, she brings 15 years’ worth of brewing knowledge to the classroom.
Activities


Beer Trivia
Gloat over your extensive beer knowledge by taking part in our beer trivia hosted by the infamous quiz master ‘Spud’. There will be 2 sessions held over the day, each with different beery topics and questions. From great beer cinema moments through to our proud Aussie brewing history, your bound to get your thinking muscles working. Prizes will be awarded.

Musical Bingo
Ok, so it’s not beer related, but it is crazy fun! Think of it as a cross between group flash-dancing karaoke and lip sync battle. Come along and join the off-key singing, two left feet dancing or just be an amused bystander. Prizes will be awarded.

BEER AND YOGA
Last year we gave you the #BEERLLARAT OLYMPICS, this year we’re bringing you the transcendental magic of beer and yoga classes brought to you by the Healthy Hub Cafe and Wellness Centre in Ballarat. Read all about it here.
Competitions & Awards
Competitions & Awards

THE #BEERLLARAT SELFIE COMPETITION
On the day, get your selfie on and share it in Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the tag #beerllarat and you could be picked as the lucky winner. Prizes to be announced on the day.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD
On the day of the festival, download the Untappd app or the Now Tapped app and get voting for your favourite brew by searching for the venue ‘Ballarat Beer Festival’.
The brewer with the highest score will win a trophy and one lucky voter will win a 6 pack of the winning brew for their troubles.

THE HOMEBREW SUMMER SLAM COMPETITION
You may have heard about our quest to find Ballarat’s greatest home brewer. A group of expert home brewers will be entering their liquid gold into the competition to be crowned Ballarat’s greatest home brewer.
Judging and awards will be presented on the main stage in front of thousands with the champion brewer winning a commercial brew at Fed Uni and have 2 of their kegs sold on tap at The Mallow!

BEST DRESSED STAND AWARD
The brewery with the best looking stand will win this award, judged by festival sponsor Bintani, who have also proudly supplied the trophy.

BEST DRESSED PUNTER
Don’t forget to dress up! The best dressed punter will win a picnic hamper for 2 to enjoy on the day – provided by local business Wilsons Fruit & Vegetables. The winner will be announced around midday.
Kids Zone
Kids Zone


Animal Farm
Farmer Darryl and his cuddly friends are visiting Ballarat Beer Festival, giving our youngest visitors the chance to get close with some of our most common farm animals, including a calf, baby lambs, baby goats, piglets, geese, chickens and baby rabbits.

Face painting
No family festival is complete without face painting!