NC has 2 of America’s best beer festivals — and one is happening next month
When it comes to beer, North Carolina’s cup runneth over.
From the mountains to the sea, the state’s craft brewing scene is one of the best in the country, featuring major national beer makers and influential micro-breweries.
That tremendous beer culture has helped create and grow some beloved beer festivals. Two of North Carolina’s popular beer festivals were recently named among the very best beer-centric celebrations in America.
In a new ranking, USA Today’s 10Best named two Triangle festivals among the top 10 in the country.
Raleigh’s Brewgaloo was ranked 6th and Durham’s Blacktoberfest was ranked 9th.
The top spot went to the Suwanee Beer Fest in Georgia, which is held annually on St. Patrick’s Day.
The rankings were based on nominations from beer industry experts, USA Today said, with reader votes determining the top 10.
Brewgaloo: No. 6
Brewgaloo set the standard for Triangle beer festivals from the moment it was founded more than a decade ago. It has grown into North Carolina’s largest beer fest, attracting tens of thousand of beer-lovers over the two-day festival.
This year, Brewgaloo will be held Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26, with more than 100 North Carolina breweries attending.
The downtown Raleigh festival has been ranked in the Top 10 five times in the last seven years, including 2019 and 2020 when it was named the best beer festival in America in back-to-back years.
Drink tickets for this year’s festival are on sale at shoplocalraleigh.org/brewgaloo/tickets
Blacktoberfest: No. 9
Blacktoberfest is a newer beer festival with a major impact. Founded in 2022, the festival celebrates and spotlights Black-owned breweries and businesses with a month of events and one blowout party.
Organized by Black Brew Culture and Durham’s Proximity Brewing, Blacktoberfest is held each October. In its inaugural year, the festival was named the second best beer festival in the country.
This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 1:57 PM with the headline "NC has 2 of America’s best beer festivals — and one is happening next month."
