Finback Brewery Whale Watching 2023 Beer Festival

Finback Brewery is pleased to announce the return of Whale Watching, New England’s premier beer festival, on Saturday, May 20 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Tickets are now available for purchase at the link here: https://whalewatching2023.eventbrite.com.

After a sold-out inaugural festival last year, Finback is adding to the number of participating breweries for its second Whale Watching, planning to host over 60 elite producers from around the world. In addition, popular food vendors from the area will be in attendance, including The Highroller Lobster Co., Masa Taqueria, and Ming’s Asian Street Food. Audiofields, based in Providence, will be DJ’ing the event.

“Rhode Island is my home state and where I first fell in love with craft beer, so it feels exciting and inspiring to once again hold Whale Watching here in the Ocean State,” said Basil Lee, co-founder of Finback. “We’re thankful for the support and good energy from last year’s festival and can’t wait to enjoy a fun day overlooking the Blackstone River with attendees and friends from breweries, including those who are pouring their beers in the area for the first time.”

More than 50 U.S. brewers are scheduled to participate, including Civil Society Brewing (Jupiter, Florida); Root+Branch Brewing (Copiague, New York); The Veil Brewing (Richmond, Virginia); Phase Three Brewing Company (Lake Zurich, Illinois); North Park Beer Company (San Diego, California); and Halfway Crooks (Atlanta, Georgia). And, for the first time, Finback will welcome international breweries to this year’s lineup, speaking to its network of industry friendships and growing market presence abroad. The majority, if not all, of these producers—like Track Brewing Co. (Manchester, England) and WHIPLASH (Dublin, Ireland)—have never offered their beers in Rhode Island.

As a playful nod to the world of elusive, limited-edition beers—or “whales,” as they’re referred to by beer enthusiasts and collectors—Finback will once again hold Whale Sightings, a schedule of timed releases from select breweries participating at the festival. These rare beers will be available in super small quantities throughout the afternoon, and attendees will be encouraged to take photos as they drink them with the hashtag #whalesightings2023 for a chance to win tickets to next year’s festival.

Finback will also designate several beer influencers as official Whale Watching ambassadors, who will circulate the venue to meet attendees and share special beers from their personal collections.

Whale Watching will take place outdoors at 249 Roosevelt Avenue and run from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tickets cost $89 for General Admission and $179 for All Access, which includes early entry at 12:30 p.m.; access to the All Access area featuring rare beers from Finback and others; two 500-milliliter bottles of barrel-aged imperial stouts created specifically for the festival; a stemmed taster glass; and more.

Attendees must be at least 21 years of age or older to attend Whale Watching. For more information, please visit https://whalewatching2023.eventbrite.com or follow us on Instagram (@finbackbrewery), Twitter (@finbackbrewery), and Facebook (facebook.com/finbackbrewery).