Record temperatures and record attendance at the Museum site: The Gatineau Beerfest hits the mark!

Organizers of the Gatineau Beerfest gave a positive assessment of the sixth edition of the annual event, held last weekend at the Canadian Museum of History. The festival’s success alleviated any concerns about the change in venue and schedule. “It takes time to build new habits, and we weren’t sure if it was a good idea to run the festival Thursday to Saturday instead of Friday to Sunday as in past years,” said Beerfest general manager Michael O’Farrell. “But our new location at the Museum gave us no choice. In the end, people reacted very favourably, and the risk paid off.” The new site is bigger and includes interior space, which means the event can go on no matter what the weather. Hence, despite a few scattered thundershowers, festivalgoers stayed on site, sheltering indoors until the sun came out again. The museum’s spectacular Great Hall was packed until late in the evening. “The main purpose of our event is to encourage people to try new beers,” continued Mr. O’Farrell. “With over 300 varieties from across Canada to choose from, beer lovers weren’t disappointed.” On the live entertainment front, the undeniable hit of the Beerfest was the performance by Classified, which attracted a crowd of about 15,000. Total festival attendance was 32,000. “Our event evolves and expands every year, but we’re working hard to keep it on a human scale,” noted Mr. O’Farrell. “We’re keenly aware that the Beerfest is about more than the programming and the beer and food experience: ultimately, it’s the festivalgoers who set the mood.” The Gatineau Beerfest would like to thank its official event partners: the City of Gatineau, the Canadian Museum of History, Distinction by Sodexo, the Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO), Beavertix, Bell Media, Corus, and Alco Prevention Canada.