The countdown to Vancouver Craft Beer Week is officially on, and ahead of the eighth annual fete, organizers have released a lineup of craft beer–related events that will be taking place around the city from May 26 to June 4.

Returning once again, of course, is VCBW’s signature affair, the Vancouver Craft Beer Festival, which will see 100 B.C. craft breweries and cideries pouring 300-plus varieties of beer and cider at the PNE Fairgrounds on June 3 and 4. Art installations, live music, a pop-up barber shop, and a games area equipped with pinball and foosball are also part of the celebration. A fleet of food trucks will provide fare for famished imbibers.

Leading up to that grand finale will be a series of events happening around Vancouver cheersing to everything from Belgian brews and fruit beer to IPAs and the city of Portland.  

On May 26, VCBW will kick off with an opening-night celebration at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre, where attendees can sample suds from over 20 B.C. breweries and cideries.

A collaboration tap takeover at Big Urban Brewery & Eatery on May 27 follows, where Vancouverites will be able to taste collaboration brews from Bridge Brewing, Four Winds, Steel & Oak, and more. Live entertainment, canapes, and a brewery tour are included.

Meanwhile, the Belgian Beer Showcase on May 29 will offer guests 15 Belgian beer styles to enjoy, plus appetizers and a little history lesson on Belgian brewing. May 30’s Forbidden Fruit, a popular event in past years, will serve up a selection of fruit beers, fruit-wheat beers, Belgians, and sours from 20-plus B.C. craft breweries.

Other events include the Rose City Rampage, a new edition to this year’s VCBW roster that will see the city paying tribute to Portland, Oregon, with 16 one-off beers from south of the border; Feats of Strength, which will pit brewing pros and enthusiasts against one another in strength- and beer-related challenges such as keg-stacking; and the IP-Hazy Whole Hog Cookout and Crawfish Boil, a food-and-beverage function that features crawfish, a variety of hazy IPAs, and—vegetarians, beware—a whole roasted pig.  

On June 2, VCBW will also be partnering with the Vancouver Mural Festival (VMF) in a toast to the city’s eclectic brewing and public-art scenes. The event takes place at the VMF headquarters in East Vancouver and will offer attendees a peek at the upcoming festival.

Tickets to the lead-up events start at $20 and tickets to the VCBW Festival are $39.99. For more information about VCBW, or to purchase tickets, click here.