Belgian beer festivals 2026 – the Idiots list
Our festival and special events calendar is packed with great beer happenings across Belgium and the neighbourhood. Top of the list: the Idiot’s own Belgium Beer Week’s 7th edition, 24-30 August 2026. Bars, brewers and event organisers here and worldwide host their own events in celebration of Belgian beer culture, recognised as an intangible cultural heritage of humankind.
A quick heads-up: dates, venues and line-ups can change, so always double-check with the organiser’s own site before you head out. It happens!
Spotted a missing festival or an error on our part? We’re Idiots, after all — drop us a line at [email protected] and we’ll sort it out.
Here’s to another incredible year of great beer and even better company. 🍻
They are celebrating their 22nd edition in Hotton. There’s craft beer and wine tastings, local products, breweries and live entertainment. Keeping the beer spirit alive! Facebook.
Misery Beer Co. hosts this festival at their amazing location in Aywaille/Harzé. Tickets sell fast. As the founders put it: ‘The best event of the summer, with music, beer and the energy of despair in BBQ sauce’.
Held in Diepenbeek, this festival features a lot of music mixed with beer. Tickets here.
They are celebrating the 11th edition of this festival that dares to ask the question. For three days Ciney becomes a showcase of craft brewers from Wallonia and Brussels at Park Saint-Roch. About 25 breweries will be featured each day. On Sunday there’s La D’Houblonnée, where you can run up to five times around the park and pick up a drink of a different beer each round from 10am. Check updates on Facebook.
L’Échappée Bière puts on this festival in Vresse-sur-Semois in the Belgian Ardennes as part of a series of cross-border ventures. Expect 4,500 visiteurs over the three days featuring music and beers from France and Belgium. Facebook.
August 1-2: Bierfestival Ambierorix
This festival is held at the Grote Markt, Tongeren.
This regional festival in Zwevegem attracts over 12,000 visitors every year who come to enjoy more than 120 regional beers. Some 35 breweries from home and abroad are invited. Keep checking here.
About 16 stands featuring beers and breweries from Wallonia make up this festival in Chapelle-lez-Herlaimont, Belgium. Facebook.
Aalst’s Streekbierenfestival Land Van Aelst hosts this summer beer fest.
This combination punch of craft beer and punk/rock/metal festival takes place in Rumst. Bands and the brewers on tap are being announced in the run up to a wonderful party. Keep track on Facebook.
Another great fest on the Belgian beer calendar by De Lambikstoempers beer club. Lots of lambiks.
Yep, the Beer Idiots have to put on a festival, and this celebrates Belgian beer culture worldwide in honour of UNESCO’s designation as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity . It’s a co-creation event. Events are put on by the participants themselves, of which there are hundreds in Belgium, the UK, Austria, Germany, Poland, Brazil, Hong Kong, South Korea….the list goes on. Bars, brewers and event holders can participate by signing up here. Check our Facebook page for updates.
This one-day festival is held in Sijsele/Damme, Belgium. Info here: www.biervanolier.be
The 8th edition of this festival features craft brewers and their beers from Belgium and other parts of Europe at the Château de Trazegnies, Courcelles by The Place to Beer in partnership with the Brasserie Zythologist.
Open Beer Days are for everyone: young and old, beer lovers and families says 3 Fonteinen. Where: lambik-O-droom, Molenstraat 47, 1651 Lot. When : Friday 6, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September: 12PM – 8PM.
Held at the Grand Place in Brussels by the Belgian Brewers association, this event features parades, bands and pomp among the 50 or so breweries serving beers to about 61,000 visitors over the weekend.
We don’t know much about this festival but it is held in the main square of Nivelles where you can drink ‘quelques’ beers according to the organisers.
This Brussels festival, held by the Brussels Beer Project, will be held again at Place Sainte-Catherine.
This festival takes place in the Bruges Meeting & Convention Centre in the city centre with +/- 50 breweries and beer companies featuring 350 beers.
This is held every three years in Poperinge and features a parade of people dressed as hops and other beery things in Poperinge, a central town for many of Belgium’s remaining hop farmers. See who gets to be the Hop Queen.
This free beer festival takes place in Hamont-Achel. Facebook.
This edition of Day of the Lambic is being held at Lambiek Fabriek brewery, a lovely spot to have a beer. Hosted by the Gueuze Society every two years, and with the backing of In de Verzekering tegen de Grote Dorst bar/cafe in Lennik, Eizeringen. Their Nach van de Grote Dorst (aka International Geuze and Kriek Festival will be next held on 1 May 2027.
Held with in Antwerp around the first weekend in October by Antwerps Bier College at iconic city brewer De Koninck, this festival features beers from about 25 small Belgian breweries.
10 brewers, and 50 beers by Boerenkrijger Bier.
This festival is held in Vijvers, Zottegem by the local beer club.
This beer festival features about 10 breweries in Eppegem. Facebook.
Celebrate the Bavarian tradition in Brussels. Oktoberfest Brussels has all the oom-pah-pah. Buy your tickets in advance.
Grégory Verhelst of Brasserie Artisanale de Rulles hosts the lovely festival Brassigaume in Marbehan. It’s well worth the trip.
Proost!
Held in Wichelen, this year’s festival features breweries at the Rubbens distillery and brewery. Facebook.
This festival is held in Poperinge, the centre for many of the remaining hop farmers in Belgium. This lovely little festival is held in the square near the Hop Museum and combines traditions with some of the best known and iconic Belgian brewers in the area (hint: including the nearby Trappist brewer). 
About 100 beers are offered here, some on tap.
Namur Capitale de la Bière hosts a showcase of about 50 beers of both the dark art and sour beers. Stouts and sours are the mix at La Nef (2 Rue Saint-Nicolas) in Namur, always a great place to visit.
We list this here as it is such an incredible festival and showcase of French and international beer. They even have a special section for Belgian brewers. Video: Nicolas Lescieux of l’Échappée Bière, one of the organisers of the Bière a Lille (BAL), talks about the growth of craft beer in France and takes us on a walk among some of the brewers. The festival hosts events from 4-10 November with the beer fest on the weekend at Gare Saint-Sauveur.
Tickets go fast at Stéfan Cauwenbergs’ world-famous Billie’s Craft Beer Fest at Waagnatie Expo & Events, in Antwerp, Belgium. It is one price and what you can taste. Certainly, it is not to be missed. Facebook.
Winters Bierfestival is organised by Waregemse Bwiniervrienden, a group of friends that have been brewing together in Waregem, where the festival is held. It features 11 brewers this year.
Kerstbierfestival ends the year with some heavy beers and drinking in Essen. Tickets run out fast as the space is limited and it is one of the great beer events in Belgium. Some 200+ Christmas beers are featured. Tickets presales from September 1.
Sohier puts on the 30th edition of this festival featuring about 100 beers, making it one of the oldest beer festivals in Belgium. It is a bit out of the way in Wallonia so plan your trip accordingly. Facebook.
This expo featuring 50+ exhibitors is being held at De Koninck brewery from 11-19h. It is hosted by Becomev, which also runs the Brussels Beer Challenge.
This festival by Brasserie Illegaal is true to form – the brewery is devoted to funding/supporting the arts in what they call ‘brewing for culture’ and this year features a host of musicians. The music finishes at 5 am so bring your dancing boots.
A winter fest run by the people behind the Bierfestival Mechelen.
In 2022 we went to the inaugural edition of The Beer Experience at the old colliery buildings in Heusden-Zolder (Limburg) and again in 2023. The festival combines craft beer with music, talks, and food surrounded by the historical equipment of the former coal mine. It features some of Belgium’s best craft and artisanal breweries. Not to be confused with the Beer Experience expo held in February.
This is a new festival for 2026, hosted by La Source at its location in Brussels and featuring the Brussels clutch of brewers plus some friends (Misery, Dok and others): 1B2T, Brasserie des Beaux Jours, Borinage, CoHop (Jannine, La Bagarre, La Flaque, Witloof), Drink Drink, Dok Brewing Co, Illegaal, Et l’Amère Fût, La Jungle, La Senne, La Source, L’Ermitage, Mazette, Misery Beer, Surrealiste, Tilquin, Tipsy Tribe, Totem, Uncharted, Zythologist.
This 8th edition takes place at the Grand-Place of Louvain-la-Neuve from 1:00 pm to 11:00 pm each day and features 20 brewers and 70 beers.
About 100 beers are on the menu at this local fest in Lichtaart. Everyone is welcome on Saturday, March 29, 2025 at the Ligahof in Lichtaart from 2 p.m.
Set in Kasterlee, this festival is organised by Kastelse Biervereniging, a group of homebrewers who have produced four beers so far.
This festival features cans and bottles of Belgian and international beers and encourages bottle sharing at the GC De MARc/kT in the center of Merksplas.
This celebration of IPA styles features about 50 beers and is held at La Nef in Namur, Belgium.
Cantillon is now holding Zwanze Day every two years in alternation with Quintessence. Zwanze was cancelled in 2023 and is being held in 2024, followed by Quintessence in 2025. Zwanze day marks the release of a special geuze at the same time at selected bars in Belgium and around the world. In the video Jean Van Roy, Cantillon’s owner and brewer, speaks about the reason he started Zwanze day.
The Koerselse Biermarkt is held in Beringen, Belgium and offers 100 beers to taste and entertainment, including live bands and an annual football tournament.
Held in Aarschot this festival involves taking a pub walk around the town. You choose your own route and go on a beer discovery. You can taste more than 45 different beers spread over the participating bars. You can return your full card to any participating catering establishment to participate in a draw for a prize.
Held in Aalst. It is hosted by Kultuurcafé De Gaadvis.
This first festival is hosted by Poseidon Beers at Puurs-Sint-Amands. This beer festival is organised by Poseidon Beers, voted ‘Best beer trade of the year’.
These are the days when the geuze and lambic brewers and blenders open their doors to the public. Expect bus loads of people from all over the world touring these breweries, some of which only open to the public for the event.
He may have left us in 2022, but the spirit of Armand Debelder lives on at Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen in the people and in the brews. Twisting the Fate is always and incredible event at the brewery and in the sunshine (most years). You get to taste limited edition lambics that have been aged on different types of wood. That is you can normally only drink them at the brewery at Lot (Beersel).
Also known as Internationaal Geuze & Kriek Festival, this fabulous festival celebrating geuze and kriek is held every two years at a fabulous bar in Dilbeek. It is one of the great showcases of geuzes and lambics.
De Wildeman beer cafe in Dendermonde is holding its first international festival. The lineup includes some stellar brewers, with the Belgians mixed in with Holy Goat (Scotland), Radical Way (Cyprus), Cerveza Espiga (Spain), Revenant Brewing Project (Finland), Black Rebel (Germany) and Totenhophen (Luxembourg).
Held at the Musée de la Vie Wallonne in Liège, this festival features local brewers in the area and a few international ones. Keep track on Facebook.
You can walk or run the marathon or 25 km course, which features a run past Duvel Moortgat, Bosteels Brewery and Palm & De Hoorn breweries. Yes beer is served during and after. And you collect a beer package to take home. A Duvel awaits you at the finish. It all starts at Duvel Moortgat Brewery.
It’s not a festival, but a font of knowledge and a gathering of the best brains in brewing. The European Brewery Convention (EBC) Symposium 2025 will take place 18–20 May in Budapest, Hungary. The Symposium will focus on sustainable beer packaging, innovations in keg and tank‑beer installations, draught‑beer dispense technology, and quality improvement. Facebook.
The Beer Lovers’ Marathon is a running race and a 42.195-kilometers party. The theme this year is Belgian comics. Get dressed up and run. There will be 16 Belgian beers served along the route and afterwards. Facebook.
Beer by the Sea seems like fun in Middelkerke. Facebook.
Set in the lovely courtyard of the Handelsbeurs in Antwerp this fest features traditional and craft brewers of Antwerp and area.
Held in conjunction with the La Brocante des Quais de Charleroi, featuring concerts, foodtrucks and other festivities, this festival in Charleroi is teamed up with Brasserie Dupont at Place Verte Charleroi. Not much more info seems available as of June.
Run by the local beer club Biergilde Sainte Gertrude this fest celebrates local breweries around Sint-Geertruid, Zuid-Limburg.
A street beer fest with food and a BBQ in Lokeren.
Namur beer bar Le Barnabeer is hosting this festival at the stunning setting of Esplanade de la Citadelle de Namur. About 25 breweries are featured. Keep up to date on Facebook.
This festival in Liège features craft brewers, cocktails, wine, street food and music. Check their Facebook page for regular updates.
This one day festival is held in Maldegems by the Waterbek social club.
The 10th edition of this festival is hosted at la Grand Place d’Enghien. On the program: beer tastings, musical entertainment, concerts and discoveries.
This is a short one from 13-21h on by the local beer club in Velle, 9140 Temse and features 19 brewers on it’s eight edition.
Held at Streekproducten Centrum (Regional Products Centre) in Halle by De Lambikstoempers beer club (to which I belong) it features bottles from every brewer and blender of geuze and lambic in Belgium, served up by club members. You will also find a lot of the brewers holding court over the two days. The Beer Idiots are usually among the last to leave it’s so good. A fantastic fest in a parking lot that’s not to be missed.
Namur Capitale de la Bière et du Terroir Festival features a mix of traditional family-run brewers, bigger brands that produce lots of suds, and craft brewers. Co-organised by Emilien Watelet and Sébastien Legrain, it’s Wallona’s largest beer festival, in a part of Belgium that does not feature a lot in the geek calendar.
Blind taste testing and music feature in Souvret at Brasserie Renaux-Lefebvre.
About 23 breweries are featured at this fest in Mons the Grand-Place de Mons.
This festival in Oostende is organised by a local beer club.
Yep, this is across the border, but it has become a must-go craft fest in Eindhoven that features international brewers that we just have to list it here. Facebook.
Held in Zedelgem, Belgium, this festival features about 100 beers and is hosted by the Zille Zuipers.
