Australia’s Biggest Beer Festival Announces 2025 Dates
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If you are a beer lover, festival enthusiast or just someone who enjoys an unforgettable day out, the GABS Beer Festival (Great Australian Beer Spectapular) is the event you need to have on your radar. Dubbed “Disneyland for Beer Lovers,” GABS is more than just a beer festival. It’s a full on experience that showcases creativity, craftsmanship and community.
Here are some reasons why you absolutely need to be at GABS this year.
Experience the weird, wonderful and never-before-tasted festival beers
One of the biggest drawcards for GABS is that brewers are invited to submit “festival beers’ for consideration. Hundreds of beers are entered, but only 100-120 are chosen. Every one of those beers are new, exclusive and often unique. From wacky dessert beers to refreshing sours and IPAs, it’s a beer lover’s dream come true.
This year GABS will be turning their beloved festival bar into the longest bar in Australia. That’s right, there will be 120 taps all in a row. 100 taps will feature the festival beers and 20 will be for cocktails and spirits, because GABS has something for everyone.
It’s Beer Education- But Fun!
Whether you’re a casual drinker or a beer geek, GABS is the perfect place to expand your beer knowledge. With guided tastings, masterclasses and Q+A sessions with brewers, you’ll walk away with new insights into the world of craft beer. You can also sample different beers and discover new flavours along the way.
There is so much more to the event than just beer
While beer is the star of the show, there is so much to this event. There will be wine, spirits and cocktails. Live music, and entertainment including circus acts, Food trucks, games and competitions, a food eating contest and more. It is a festival with something for everyone, even if you are not the biggest beer drinker.
Meet some of the most iconic German breweries and try their beers
GABS invites a couple international super stars to attend each year as their special guest. This year World-renowned German brewery, Schlenkerla, will be a special guest at the festival and will have stands at all three events. Founded in 1405, Schlenkerla is one of only two breweries left in the world that use an open fire in their own in-house malt house to dry their malt. This ancient brewing technique creates a unique ‘Smoke Flavoured Beer’.
CEO Matthias Trum will also be the guest speaker at the inaugural International Brewers Collective on 29 May, 2025 in Sydney. The IBC is a pre-celebration of all things beer before the GABS Craft Beer Festival kicks off the following day.
Also back for the second year in a row it’s the world’s oldest brewery, Weihenstephan, which was founded 1000 years ago in a monastery in Germany.
Hosted in three cities
That’s right. GABS will be coming to:
Melbourne 4-5 April, 2025
Brisbane 23-24 May 2025
Sydney 30-31 May 2025
So it is easy to get to if you live on the east coast of Australia, and it’s worth travelling for if you don’t.
The FOMO is Real
GABS is one of the biggest craft beer events in the Southern Hemisphere. From the limited edition beers to the epic experiences and unforgettable memories, this is one event you won’t want to miss.
Zachary Skinner is the editor of TechDrivePlay.com, where tech, cars and adventure share the fast lane.
A former snowboarding pro and programmer, he brings both creative flair and technical know-how to his reviews. From high-performance cars to clever gadgets, he explores how innovation shapes the way we move, connect and live.
