Most beer festivals in Sweden work with the following system: You buy a ticket that includes entry to the festival and a souvenir tasting glass. When you arrive, you buy tokens, usually sold in packets of 10, 20, or some other round number to exchange for tastes of beer.

A hand holding up a glass of J. Wakefield Brewing Count Mashula craft beer at Brewskival craft beer festival in Helsingborg, Sweden — Brewskival in Helsingborg

Sweden’s largest craft beer festivals

Brewskival in Helsingborg is run by Swedish craft brewery Brewski, so it features some of their beers of course, but also much more, both from Sweden and from international breweries. It’s happening this year on August 12th-14th. It’s at Brewski’s brewery, which is outside the center of town, but still within walking distance, and there’s at least one hotel that’s even closer.

A hand holding up a glass of Stigbergets Bryggeri Special Handpulled Bourbon Barrel Chocolate Imperial Stout craft beer at Brewskival craft beer festival in Helsingborg, Sweden — Brewskival in Helsingborg

Although not exclusively for craft beer, Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival is another of the larger drink festivals in Sweden. It takes place over two weekends, September 29th-October 1st and October 6th-8th, this year. In addition to beer and whiskey, there is wine, rum, gin, and more available for tasting.

A glass of Garagebryggeriet Wunderbier craft beer at Folks Fölbitarfest craft beer festival in Linköping, Sweden — Folkes Fölbitarfest in Linköping

Great Swedish Beer Festival, or GSBF, in Malmö, is unique in that it features only Swedish microbreweries, whereas the other ones have Swedish beers plus international beers. It’s happening on October 28th-29th this year in a large indoor venue in the city center with plenty of seating.

A glass of Dugges Bryggeri Anagram Blueberry Cheesecake Stout craft beer at Great Swedish Beer Festival in Malmö, Sweden — Great Swedish Beer Festival in Malmö

All in Beer Fest in Göteborg takes place in a hotel, so it’s super convenient to stay there and get from your room to the festival and back to your room without even going outside, which can be a plus in November. This one is coming up on November 11th-12th this year.

Kornheddinge BryggeriKompani Pumpking craft beer at Great Swedish Beer Festival in Malmö — Great Swedish Beer Festival in Malmö

Smaller local craft beer festivals in Sweden

There are plenty of other smaller craft beer festivals around Sweden, some that take place every year and others that pop up as fun one-off festivals. Some examples are Stockholm Beer Fest, which will take place on August 27th-28th this year, and Linköping Beer Expo, which will take place on March 4th in 2023. Some other fun ones we’ve attended in the past include Örebrewfest in Örebro, Folkes Fölbitarfest in Linköping featuring craft beer from Östergötland, and The Gothenburg Phenomenon in Stockholm featuring craft beer from Göteborg.

A glass of Morgondagens Bryggeri Glögg Sour craft beer at Great Swedish Beer Festival in Malmö, Sweden — Great Swedish Beer Festival in Malmö

Homebrew festivals in Sweden

Homebrew festivals are a little different from the others in that you typically pay an entry fee to taste as many of the beers as you want, but entry requires membership in the homebrewing club that organized the festival. If you don’t already belong to the club, you can usually purchase a membership when you buy your ticket or even at the door in some cases, and it’s reasonably priced.

A glass of beer at Linköping Beer Expo craft beer festival in Linköping, Sweden — Linköping Beer Expo

You can check Svenska Hembryggareföreningen’s website for updates on upcoming events. Two that we have attended in the past are Belgoträff featuring Belgian-style beers in Uppsala and Novembermörker featuring stouts and porters in Linköping. Beer quality can be all over the place at a homebrew festival, but you can be sure that you’ll always find something good!

A glass of craft beer at Linköping Beer Festival in Linköping, Sweden — Linköping Beer Expo

Tips for attending craft beer festivals in Sweden

When you buy your ticket online, there’s often an option to pre-order tokens, but watch out for those service fees. It’s more cost-effective to wait and buy tokens in person at the festival. We’ve rarely experienced long lines and there is often no line at all for tokens (although there often is for the actual beer).

A glass of craft beer at Linköping Beer Expo in Linköping, Sweden — Linköping Beer Expo

You’re going to be walking around and standing in line for beer a lot, and I think it works the best if the group you come with finds a good place at a table in the beginning of the festival. Then just make sure at least one person stays at the table to hold your spot while others get beer or food. It’s nice to always have a place to sit.

Linköping Beer Expo craft beer festival in Linköping, Sweden — Linköping Beer Expo

Don’t forget water! Try to drink some between beers and rinse out your tasting glass between beers for a better experience. Most festivals have multiple water stations for these purposes.