For 44 years, the Great American Beer Festival has been an indoor affair, held inside the Colorado Convention Center. This year, it finally stepped outside. The 2026 edition moved to Levitt Pavilion, an outdoor venue in the Ruby Hill neighborhood, and it's the first time in the festival's history that the country's most prestigious craft beer event isn't under a roof. The festival runs across Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11, from 12:00 to 4:00 pm each day, so if you're reading this on Sunday, there's still one session left to catch.
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The venue itself is worth a look. Levitt Pavilion Denver, at 1380 West Florida Avenue, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit music venue built around the idea of using music to bring a community together, and it puts on 50 free concerts and community events every summer in Ruby Hill Park. It's a far cry from a convention center floor, which is exactly the point of the move. The Brewers Association, the 501(c)(6) not-for-profit trade group that represents more than 9,500 breweries and has run the festival since it began in 1982, is the sponsor behind the whole thing.
What you get inside is what made the festival famous in the first place. More than 200 breweries pour thousands of beers, and every ticket comes with a commemorative taster glass. There's live music on both days: Philadelphia rock outfit Low Cut Connie played Saturday at 1:00 pm, and California's Próxima Parada, who blend soul, R&B, folk and indie rock, take the stage Sunday at 2:00 pm. The GABF competition awards ceremony, which used to be a closed industry affair, is open to everyone attending Sunday's session, so you can catch the winners announced in person. It's a 21+ event, and ID is checked at the gate.
On the ticket front, Saturday is gone. The single-day ticket for Saturday, October 10, was $66.53 and is sold out, as is the 2-Day Festival Pass at $120.93. The Sunday, October 11 session is still available at $66.53, and the Festival + PAIRED option is available for Sunday at $170.38, though the Saturday version of that is sold out. PAIRED is the festival's food-and-beer experience, pairing pours with award-winning chefs and elevated small bites. The designated driver ticket at $34.01 is sold out, and the single-day shuttle, which ran round-trip from the Sheraton Denver Downtown to Levitt Pavilion for $21.48, had to be reserved by October 1, so that window has closed.
Beyond the beer, there's Red Ball Tennis with the United States Tennis Association and a hotel block for anyone traveling in. If you're planning to make a day of it, there's also a nearby brewery guide to help fill in the hours before and after the festival. With Saturday already behind us, Sunday is the last chance to see the festival in its new outdoor home before it wraps up for the year.
Published Date
11 October 2026
