It is that time of year again; specifically when the arguably best craft beer festival in the South Bay returns to Rolling Hills, and that is the 11th South Bay Beer & Wine Festival which will be held Sunday, May 19, 2024, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM at Ernie Howlett Park.

Proudly presented by the Rotary Clubs of Palos Verdes Peninsula, San Pedro, and South Bay Sunrise, this non-profit event puts 100% of the monies raised go back into helping families in the South Bay and Harbor areas.

I have to admit, I have been going back and forth about what I wanted to say about this event because I started attending it in 2015 when they had it at the South Coast Botanical Gardens. While it was a great venue, it was pretty obvious that they were going to outgrow it. That was their second annual festival and I was told they had about 700 attendees. The following year it was moved to Ernie Howlett Park and they had closer to 1,500 attendees. It was a good move.

Things were pretty groovy until 2020 when this pesky virus caused what would have been the 7th and 8th festivals to be cancelled. In 2022 the South Bay Beer & Wine Festival returned, this time with only 600 tickets available, and everyone was VIP. This pretty much set the stage for the new normal as far as this festival is concerned; for the past two years only 600 General Admission are sold and 300 VIP tickets.

The event typically has about 40 breweries, 30 wineries, and 30 restaurants all providing free samples included in the price of admission. There is also live music and a silent auction. All in all, these events have been a blast. In the seven I have attended thus far, I cannot think of one that didn’t have amazing weather to help enhance the day.

Since you have read this far, I guess it is only fair that I provide you with the promised Promo Code to help you save some money. If you go to https://www.sbbeerwinefest.com/tickets enter BEERGUY24 and hit APPLY to receive your $10 discount.

If you wish to become a participant as a brewery, winery, or restaurant, please visit https://www.sbbeerwinefest.com/become-a-participant to apply; the cutoff is April 1, 2024.

I hope to see you there, and if you see me pointing my camera at you, smile please. Cheers!