New York State's Longest-Running Beer Fest is Canceled This Year

New York's biggest, and longest-running craft beer festivals won't be happening in 2024. While new craft beer festivals continue to pop up as frequently as new breweries are opening, one of the most popular beer festivals announced they're taking a year off.

History

Tap NY began in 1998, and has since grown to become one of the biggest beer festivals in the entire country.

Their website says the event was originally known as the Hudson Valley Beer and Food Festival and was held at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.

Only two years later, the festival had already grown so fast that they had to move to Hunter Mountain. From there, the festival attracted the best and brightest new breweries from across the state, as the craft beer boom exploded through the new millennium.

Each year, New York state breweries would compete at Tap for the best beer awards, as the festival drew tens of thousands of visitors to Hunter Mountain.

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After two years off during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tap NY would return as they moved to Bethel Woods Center For the Arts in May 2022.

Tap NY Is Canceled This Year

The Tap NY Craft Beer and Music Festival announced Saturday that the Tap NY 2024 is canceled.

The organizers said it came down to "creative differences" between themselves and Bethel. However, the event will return, as the Tap NY website says that they "are excited to resume in 2025 at a new location."

Their Facebook post told ticket holders to "direct all questions about 2024 tickets and vendor registration to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts."

Breweries vs Wineries

The Post Standard says that around ten years ago there were a little over 100 breweries in New York state compared to 324 wineries. According to the New York State Liquor Authority, there are now 494 of the latter. But as for breweries?

The NY Liquor Authority says there are now over 500 of them across the state, which is a 420% increase in just over a decade.