Gate City Brewfest offers beer of course, but also family fun
Each August the Gate City Brewfest draws brewers and beer enthusiasts from all over New England to raise money for the Nashua Police Athletic League. Megan Blongy works with the PAL and is one of the coordinators of the festival. She said the event has become something of an institution.
“This is the 12th year,” she said, “and we are excited about that. We will have food, lots of different beers — over 100 different brews are being poured this year — we are going to have our traditional Wiffleball tournament, along with [a] challenge, where the police face off against the fire department. They do a lot of lifting of heavy things and compete against each other, but actually, new this year, we are going to have a Mini Hero Challenge, which will be a smaller version for kids to be able to [compete] picking up things like bags of kitty litter.”
The hundred different beers will come from across the region, Blongy said.
“Right now we have around 65 different brewers coming. That can change between now and the actual day, but they’re from all over New England. There are some from Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and a few from Massachusetts, so basically a good New England mix.” There will be food as well, she said. “We have food trucks coming; Alltown Fresh will be there; Augusta’s Chicken on the Road will be there. We have a new lemonade [vendor] coming this year, called Sip and Pour, that people are excited about.”
More than 50 vendors and food trucks are listed on the Brewfest’s website, as well as beers, ciders, spirits, seltzers and non-alcoholic beverages. Blongy emphasized that the Brewfest is about more than just beer.
“It’s a family-friendly event,” she said. “We have different types of tickets, a sort of tier system. We have VIP tickets, which are $75 and let you get in an hour early, so beginning at noon. We have general admission tickets that admit people at 1 p.m. Then we do sell DD [Designated Driver] tickets, which have a different type of wristband. Kids under 12 are free.”
One of the compelling aspects of the Brewfest, Blongy said, is the longstanding competitions between Nashua’s fire and police departments.
“Police officers and firefighters will be lifting kettlebells with different weights — probably five-, 10-, and 20-[pound] weights. They’re also going to have relay races between some of the kids and some of the fire and police officers, as well as a tug-of-war against some of the fire and police officers. So this year it should be extra fun for the kids. It will be a fun experiment. [The Nashua Police Athletic League] is a youth organization. We’re trying very hard to bring some fun for the youth to be there, and it can become more of a family event. but it can be hard because of the beer theme. So this is our first shot at trying to see if the mini-hero games will take off.”
Blongy said it has been gratifying to see the Brewfest grow into an expression of Nashua’s sense of community.
“It’s good to bring the community together with different types of vendors and sponsors, who come together and just have a day out. I think the city’s definitely been trying to bring back that sense of community, and over the past few years they’ve done a great job at it. We’re definitely excited to be a part of that.”
The Gate City Brewfest
When: Saturday, Aug. 22, 1-5 p.m.
Where: Holman Stadium, 67 Amherst St., Nashua, from 1 to 5 p.m. VIP ticket holders will be allowed in at noon.
More: General admission tickets are $44.52, VIP tickets are $76.54, and Designated Driver tickets are $17.85 through the festival’s website at gatecitybrewfestnh.com.
Featured photo: Gate City Brewfest. Courtesy photo.