Already established in Quebec City and Lévis, the Quebec-based beer festival, Festibière, is coming to Sherbrooke at the end of May. Taking a slightly different approach than others major festivals in the city, the celebration of all things beer has found its home at Victoria Park in Fleurimont on the last weekend of the month, looking to kick off the summer with an open door to the products of 21 different microbreweries from across the province. “Victoria Park lends itself to a beer festival really well,” said Sébastien Huot, promoter of the festival. “We came to visit, and when we saw the park we said hey, there is something here.” Huot explained that the three day festival will revolve around discussions and tastings of different kinds of beer in a rustic and comfortable outdoor vibe, but added that the experience will be accented by live performances, gourmet food, and displays of the works of local artisans. “We always try to have local actors take their place in the planning of the event,” the promoter said. The last thing that the organizers want to do, he continued, is import a pre-made festival into a local setting. “We never want to do that,” he said. “Every time we want to do things a little bit differently.” Asked why Sherbrooke is the next chosen location for Festibière, Huot noted that the Sherbrooke area is a large region with a good baseline of breweries, but also that he lived in the city for four years and feels a connection to the community. See full story in the Wednesday, April 18th edition of The Record.
Sherbrooke beer fest coming in May
By Gordon Lambie
