Hello weary beer traveler! So you’ve decided to make the pilgrimage to scenic Atlantic City for their annual Beer and Music Festival? That’s great! We are so glad to have you. The day (and weekend as a whole) can be a lot to handle, so we’ve partnered up with Team ACBF to prepare this handy guide for all your fest inquiries. Follow this tip sheet and you are guaranteed to make it out alive. 

Pre-Fest
If you’re able to get into town early, there are a ton of activities to do the night before the fest all over AC! Kick-off parties, a 5K run, rare beer tappings, mini-golf tournaments, etc; the world is your oyster the night before. Just remember to take it easy and pace yourself, as you have a big day of drinking when you wake up.*

The morning of the fest, be sure to eat a hearty breakfast. Think porkroll, egg, and cheese sandwich. You don’t want to bloat yourself with a massive brunch, but you want a good base to slosh around all the #whalez you’re about to consume.

*Legally we have to say this. Let’s not kid ourselves… we all know you and your friends are going to black out and get kicked out of a strip club. 

Parking
Lol, get rekt. Oh wait… some of you may be designated drivers. Thank you for your service. Here is all the transportation information:

Food
What would a beer fest be without a pretzel necklace?! People tend to get creative with their snack necklaces, so have some fun and bring things that will fill you up and pair well with lots and lots of beer. Our suggestion is getting a lot of really moldy, stinky cheese and wear that around your neck all day while only drinking sours.

ACBF has a ton of quality food vendors at your disposal! Check out the menus and have a plan of attack for your mid-day meal, which you should 100% not skip in the name of a liquid lunch. That is, unless you want to black out and end up like this guy:

Tents
Listen, everyone knows the sun is the natural enemy of beer. If it gets too hot (or starts raining), you need to get under shade ASAP. Make note of where all the tents are on the map and never veer too far from one at any given time. Think of it as a makeshift cellar, and you are your super rare barleywines that you have to store properly.

Sun Block
Speaking of the sun… since sunlight is bad for beer, by proxy it must be bad for beer bros, right? Well, it’s tricky. Some experts seem to think that Vitamin D is actually good for you, while others say too many UV rays could cause cancer. Sounds like conflicting information to us. To be safe though, keep an eye on the weather, bring a good SPF sunscreen with you to the fest, and apply sporadically. And hey, if you have a pour of a stout that you’re not particularly fond of, just give a quick squirt of Banana Boat into it and BOOM, instant coconut pastry. You’re welcome.

Bonus tip: Sunburnt lips are the worst, so don’t forget the SPF chapstick. A citrus flavored one pairs well with IPAs. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Hydration Stations
Look, you’re at a beer fest, not a water fest. There are all those types of beers, and yet only one type of water provided? Unacceptable. As ACBF veterans, here is a helpful tip: drink water between every sample. Not to stay hydrated so you don’t black out and get alcohol poisoning, but to cleanse your palate so you go into every new beer with fresh taste buds. Of course, the one downside to drinking this much water on top of the beer is…

Bathrooms
They’re porta potties, so get used to it. Do everything you can to blow up your hotel bathroom before the fest, or else you-know-what’s in store. We really don’t know what else to say here. 

Music!
This is AC Beer and Music Festival, after all! Take note of set times for the bands you want to see, and plan your route around it! If you want to run into Dropkick Murphys, just hang out at the Sam Adams tent all day. If you wanna meet 311, look for the breweries with CBD in the beers. 

Footwear
There’s no two ways about it… wear comfy shoes. Bader Field is mostly grass and dirt, with some concrete here and there. There’s lots of standing and walking. Single ladies, we know you want to look cute in case today is the day you meet your forever beer beau, but let’s air on the side of comfort if you actually want to make it to one of the after parties. Fellas, your Reef sandals with the bottle opener on the bottom should suffice; you never know when a brewery is going to want to open a super-rare bottle, only to not have a church key handy!

Post-Fest
Speaking of, there’s tons of things to get into once the fest ends, too! You could go to one of the many after parties all over town, where you can fall asleep listening to a cover band, or you could go to the hotel casino, where you can doze off playing poker, or even book a nice dinner for your party, where you can pass out in your soup before your entree comes. The possibilities really are endless! Paint the town bed! Just don’t follow in this guy’s footsteps:

Now if you’ll excuse us… we have some drinking to do! Responsibly, of course. And by that, we mean we will be hanging out by the Rinse & Roast at the comedy stage making fun of all you beer nerds. Cheers!