Great Lakes Beer Festival at Dow Diamond

Great Lakes Beer Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 8, at Dow Diamond in Midland, according to the event’s official website and Eventbrite listing. Michigan Brew Trail is presenting the event, which is billed as a showcase for more than 50 Michigan breweries, cideries and distilleries inside the home stadium of the Great Lakes Loons. The festival runs from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., with VIP ticket holders admitted at 1 p.m., the organizers say. The event appears on The Gander’s roundup of Michigan events for Aug. 7-9, which highlighted craft beer among the weekend draws across the state. ### When is the festival and where do people go? Dow Diamond, at 825 E. Main St. in Midland, is the venue listed by organizers for the Aug. 8 event. The stadium is home to the Great Lakes Loons, a Minor League Baseball team affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to the festival website. Organizers say the tasting event will be held inside the ballpark rather than at a separate fairground or downtown site. (greatlakesbeerfestival.com) Saturday’s published schedule runs five hours, from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. VIP admission begins an hour earlier, at 1 p.m., according to the festival site and Eventbrite page. ### What does a ticket include? General admission is listed at $49 in advance and $59 at the door, according to the official event site. That ticket includes entry to Dow Diamond, live music, on-field activities and 10 tasting tickets, organizers say. (greatlakesbeerfestival.com) VIP tickets are priced at $89 in advance only and include suite-level access, a food buffet, a souvenir glass, air-conditioned space, exclusive restrooms, 15 tasting tickets, VIP parking and early entry, according to the event description. (greatlakesbeerfestival.com) A designated-driver ticket is listed at $20 and includes admission, live music and two soft-drink tickets. The site also lists a corporate 10-pack at $429. ### How many breweries and drinks are expected? The festival website says the 2026 event will feature more than 50 Michigan craft breweries, cideries and distilleries. Organizers describe the gathering as a statewide sampling event rather than a single-brand or single-style beer festival. The Gander’s Aug. 4 weekend guide grouped the Midland event with other Michigan festivals drawing visitors for music, food and drink from Aug. 7 through Aug. 9. (greatlakesbeerfestival.com) That listing did not add a separate attendance estimate, but it identified craft beer as one of the weekend themes across the state. ### What rules should attendees know before arriving? (greatlakesbeerfestival.com) The official festival site says the event is for people 21 and older only. All attendees must show a valid government-issued photo ID at the gate, according to the posted rules. Organizers also say the event has a no-refund policy. A separate event listing says the festival is rain or shine and that vendors will be set up indoors on the concourses. (gandernewsroom.com) That detail did not appear as prominently in the main event summary, but it matches the operational notes carried by secondary event listings tied to the same ticketed event. ### Where can people find tickets and updates? Eventbrite lists Michigan Brew Trail as the organizer and links ticket sales directly to the Aug. 8 festival page. (greatlakesbeerfestival.com) The official festival website carries the same date, venue, admission tiers and package details. The Gander directed readers looking for weekend plans to its Aug. 7-9 events roundup, which included the Great Lakes Beer Festival among 20 Michigan events. (newsbreak.com) For people planning to attend, the next concrete date is Saturday, Aug. 8, with VIP entry at 1 p.m. and general admission beginning at 2 p.m. at Dow Diamond in Midland. (gandernewsroom.com) (eventbrite.com)