Pittsburgh’s Barrel & Flow Fest

Celebrate Black artists, craft brews and the arts at the award-winning Barrel & Flow Fest Aug. 10, 2024

Named the best beer festival in the entire country in 2024 and 2023, Pittsburgh’s Barrel & Flow Fest returns to celebrate, embrace and uplift Black artists, musicians, chefs and brewers around the country. Taking place Aug. 10, 2024 with an eclectic, creative and empowering schedule of events, the festival is a must-see experience in our city of multitudes.

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Barrel & Flow

As the first brew fest dedicated to Black brewers, drinkers and artists, Barrel & Flow Fest has put Pittsburgh on the Black brew map, and has helped position the city as one of the leaders in brewery diversity and inclusion.

Barrel & Flow Fest

What's with the name? Well, the Barrel refers to the brews and Flow references the performing artists and speakers. Together, Barrel & Flow represents what attendees can expect at the event: one-of-a-kind brews fresh from the barrel accompanied by live art, food vendors and entertainment all day.

This year, festivities will take place at The Stacks at 3 Crossings in the Strip District, where festival goers can enjoy exclusive craft brew collaborations, a uniquely curated collection of vendors, live music and entertainment, networking opportunities and plenty of fun. The festival is open from noon-9 p.m. Saturday for general admission and will feature more than 150 vendors.

Looking to enjoy Barrel & Flow Fest before the general public? Explore the VIP and Early Admission tickets (on sale Feb. 1, 2024) for early access and exclusive swag. Only 250 VIP tickets are available, and provide admission to all events Friday through Sunday and includes the conferencing events, bottle share, fest + catered luncheon by Roux Orleans and Sunday brunch.

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Barrel & Flow

A Day of “Edutaining”

The weekend-long festival officially kicks off on Friday, Aug. 9, with a full day of events that are both educational and entertaining. Conferences, symposiums and panels with some of the biggest names in craft brewing. The festival’s first day will wrap up with an Evening Bottle Share event where attendees are invited to swap and sample craft brews from around the country.

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Barrel & Flow

A Week of Great Events

Barrel & Flow Fest is much more than a one-day event! Check out the full schedule below which includes events throughout the city at breweries, theatres, hotels and cafés.

Friday – Aug. 9, 2024: Day-long conference featuring panels, classes, and symposiums followed by a Friday evening bottle share.
Saturday – Aug. 10, 2024: Festival Day: craft brew + art + music + marketplace, from noon - 9 m., with more than 100 breweries/distilleries, 50 collaborations, 75 vendors, and dozens of Black artists, musicians and performers.
Sunday – Aug. 11, 2024: Sunday Brewers Brunch, featuring beer and food pairings.

Must-Try Collaborations

Your tasting glass is your passport to trying all of the best beverages on tap at Barrel & Flow Fest. 35+ Black-owned breweries and distilleries will take center stage, serving their own brews alongside more than 50 craft brew collaborations.

These unique creations are made by pairing local and national breweries together or with local artists, charities and restaurants to create a craft beer lover's paradise of beers you can only find here all in one place.

Here's just a few collabs to keep tabs on:

Pittsburgh powerhouses Live Fresh Juicery and Allegheny City Brewing join forces
Pittsburgh-based and Black-owned Noire Distillery partnering with East End Brewing
Atlanta-based and Black-owned Khonso Brewing collab with Burgh-based Late Addition Brewing + Blending
BLAM Wrestling promises to powerbomb the competition with their collab with Hitchhiker Brewing

Other local collabs to look out for include brews from Windy Bridges Brew, Allegheny Mountain Malt, New France Brewing Co., Thunder Twins Beer Campaign, Grist House Craft Brewery, TLC Libations, Velum Fermentation, Acrospire, Two Frays and many more.

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Barrel & Flow

Tons of Entertainment

Barrel & Flow Fest will feature multiple stages with full lineups of local, national and international Black artists.

2024 Performances include:

DJs Maya Universe, Saphhyre, SCAARR, DJ Femi and more
Vocalists Chloe Marie, N3PTUNE + RSTY, Vudu Childe, SpecialK and more
Hip-Hop Artist FRH Golden
plus sets from live DJs and live artist demonstrations throughout the day.

For the full lineup including times and stage locations, visit the Barrel & Flow website.

More than Music and Brews

Be sure to check out the The Freshest Market '23 where vendors will be selling their art and wares from Ki the Barber mobile barber to Petty Wednesday interactive adult drinking games and everything in between.

Hungry? Grab some Street Fries, some Jamaican creations from Leon's Caribbean Restaurant and dessert from black and LGBTQIA+ owned Wild Rise Bakery among the dozens of food vendors in attendance.

Network with Black focused non-profits and companies and support the August Wilson African American Cultural Center and Africana women co-op Ujamaa Collective.