What better way to cure your winter blues than with live music, dancing and a couple of foamy, golden brown brews? The Atlanta Winter Beer festival is back to break up the monotony in your winter calendar, and this year the festival coming back bigger and better.
“The last few years our tickets have sold out pretty quickly,” Michael DiLonardo, director of operations for Atlanta beer festivals, said.
The two-day festival will be held Jan. 25 and 26 at the Masquerade, which was once the Dupre Excelsior Mill. The venue provides a charming, dingy atmosphere and gives concert and festival-goers room with its multilevel layout separated into hell, purgatory and heaven.
DiLonardo expects a good turnout this year. “The last couple of years it has been selling out at 2,600 so were expecting that on Saturday and Sunday were hoping for about 1,500,” he said.
In addition to the indoor space, the beer fest will be using tents in both the front of the venue and out back in Masquerade’s Music Park. The tents will be heated if necessary.
Musician and party singer Ian Schumacher is part of the diverse line-up of musicians who will be providing entertainment at the festival.
“People can expect to be surprised in ways they’ve never been before. My act is a one-man band with live mixing and sampling at the show,” Schumacher said.
Schumacher will be playing a mix of both original music and cover songs. His original music is a testament to his variegated musical taste and is self-described as “funk-feel-good-techno-rock-and-roll-music.” Schumacher also prides himself in his covers taking well known songs and creating a layered genre-fusing concoctions barely recognizable from the original.
“It’s really a live musical experience because it sounds like there’s eight people up on stage and it’s just one guy, a stand and some pedals using a Boomerang sampler. It’s great beer festival music because it’s really high energy and fun,” Schumacher said.
Besides Schumacher, there will be nine other local popular acts on five stages throughout the venue, plus a variety of vendors, a DJ dance party and communal games like beer pong and flip cup.
There will be 300 different types of beers available, from the traditional favorites to full-bodied winter brews. Saturday will feature breweries east of the Mississippi River, while Sunday will feature breweries from west of the Mississippi River.
“The festival happens on the weekend after the playoffs and right before the Super Bowl, so there’s really nothing else going on,” DiLonardo said. “Georgia State students should come out to the winter beer festival to get a chance to get educated about beers and have fun.”
Tickets are $70 for two days and $40 for one. The ticket includes a souvenir cup and beer samples. Food is extra.
For more information about the Atlanta Winter Beer festival check out their website www.atlantawinterbeerfest.com.
For more information about Ian Schumacher check out his Facebook, www.facebook.com/iansmusic.
