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.

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.  The next one is August 22nd-24th, 2025.  It’s at Brewski’s brewery, which is outside the center of town, but still within walking distance.

Although not exclusively for craft beer, Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival is another of the larger drink festivals in Sweden.  It usually takes place in September or October. Dates for 2025 have not been announced yet. In addition to beer and whiskey, there is wine, rum, gin, and more available for tasting.

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 usually takes place in September or October in a large venue with plenty of seating. Dates for 2025 have not been annonsed yet.

All in Beer Fest in Göteborg usually takes place in November, and has been held in different venues including a hotel and a museum. Dates for 2025 have not been announced yet.

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 usually takes place in August, Linköping Beer Expo, which will take place on February 22nd, 2025, and Folkes Fölbitarfest in Linköping featuring craft beer from Östergotland, which will take place on May 10th 2025.  Some other fun ones we’ve attended in the past include Örebrewfest in Örebro and The Gothenburg Phenomenon in Stockholm featuring craft beer from Göteborg.

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. 

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!

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).

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.

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.

Have fun and enjoy the festival!