Win Tickets to the Ultimate Duluth Block Party: Festiversary 2026

Every spring, Bent Paddle Brewing, at 1832 W. Michigan Street in Duluth, hosts Festiversary, an outdoor block party that, for me, also doubles as a fun reunion of friends.

It's a great combination of delicious beverages, live music, and a lot of food. I've been to Festiversary the past several years now, and somewhere along the way, it stopped being just another event on the calendar and became a tradition.

This year, the 13th anniversary of Bent Paddle's Festiversary is set for Saturday, May 9, from 2 pm to 8 pm. Below you'll find all the details, and a chance to win tickets to enjoy it all.

Bent Paddle Festiversary 2026 Tickets

Festiversary 2026 brings live music on two stages, food trucks rolling in from across the Twin Ports, games, family-friendly activities, and a whole lot of Bent Paddle beer, including specialty fest-only styles and canna pours.

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There are two ticket tiers available to purchase this year:

• All-In Admission — Includes one free full pour and a keepsake pint glass. The first 1,300 attendees receive a commemorative 2026 Festiversary pint glass; after that, attendees take home a vintage Bent Paddle pint glass. Advance: $25 (+tax/fees). Gate: $35 (tax included).
• Thrifty Ticket — Entry only with a plastic pint cup (non-glass). Advance: $15 (+tax/fees). Gate: $20 (tax included).
• Kids 14 and under — FREE
• Designated drivers and ages 14–21 — Thrifty Ticket

Advance tickets are available at the Bent Paddle Taproom or online via ShowClix. Exit and re-entry are allowed with a wristband.

Once you're inside, beverage and swag tokens run $4 each. A full 16-ounce beer pint costs two tokens, an 8-ounce half pour is one or two tokens, depending on the style, THC bev cans run two or three tokens, and Bent Paddle's non-alcoholic beverages are one token. It's a quick mental math problem worth solving early.

You can enter below for a chance to win a pair of tickets to this year's event. Entry deadline is Thursday, May 7, at 5 pm.

The Beer: Specialty Fest-Only Pours, Hut By Hut

Festiversary is, first and foremost, a brewery anniversary — which means the beer lineup is the headliner before the headliners. Bent Paddle is setting up themed pour huts around the festival grounds, each anchored by a flagship beer with a fest-only twist.

Here's the full hut-by-hut lineup:

• 4° Amber Hut — 14° Amber Ale and Juneberry 14° Amber
• Bent Hop Hut — Bent Hop IPA and Grapefruit Pineapple Bent Hop
• Black Ale + Cold-Press Hut — Black Ale, Cold-Press Black, plus Cold Press Black with 2017 DSDB
• Kanu Hut — Kanu Pale Ale and Berrymelon Kanu
• Light Lager Hut — Light Lager and Grapefruit Light Lager
• Retro Haze Hut — Retro Haze Pale Ale and Stoney Retro Haze
• Venture Pils Hut — Venture Pils and Prickleberry Pils
• Seltzer Hut — Superior Blue and Tea'd Off

Inside the Production Brewery and Old Taproom, the rare-and-experimental side of the lineup takes over with casks, a sour release, all the regular taproom offerings, plus non-alcoholic and canna pours:

• Casks — Fresh Hop Bent Hop, Tropical Retro Haze, Pine-hop-apeño Bent Hop, and Citru-lav Light Lager
• Sour — Gandering Goose Gose 2: The Wild Gose Chase
• Taproom — All your favorite taproom offerings plus non-alcoholic options
• Canna lineup — Muse POG (2mg THC / 25mg CBD), Muse Strawberry Watermelon and Mango Citrus (5mg THC / 5mg CBD each), Puff Dragon Fruit + Pineapple (10mg), Puff Dragon Fruit + Cloudberry (10mg), Hightened Mary Jane's Mule (10mg), and Hightened Canna PalomaRita (10mg)

The Music: Two Stages, Six Bands, And A Community Toast

This year's lineup leans into Bent Paddle's tradition of pulling together a mix of local favorites and bands.

Sets bounce back and forth between the Main Stage and the Lollygagger Stage, so you can wander, refill, and never be more than a song or two away from live music.

Here's the schedule:

• 2:00 – 2:30 p.m. | Berserk Blondes (Main Stage) — Garage-pop attitude turned all the way up to kick the day off
• 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. | Tin Can Gin (Lollygagger Stage) — Twin Ports string-band Americana, foot-stomping, and tight
• 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. | Boss Mama & The Jebberhooch (Main Stage) — A one-time mega group with special guests from Hot Tamale Cosmos, Feeding Leroy, and Wetland Willows
• 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. | Gochujang (Lollygagger Stage) — High-energy local rock with a punky edge
• 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. | Kiss the Tiger (Main Stage) — Minneapolis indie-rock with serious vocal firepower
• 6:30 – 6:45 p.m. | Festiversary Community Toast (Main Stage) — A 15-minute pause to raise a pint with the Bent Paddle team
• 6:45 – 8:00 p.m. | Big Wave Dave & The Ripples (Main Stage) — Roots-driven Americana with a beach-day swagger closing out the night

Meanwhile, inside the Production Brewery from 2 to 7:30 p.m., TNT HiFi is curating Positive Tropical DJ Vibes on their signature sound system — reggae, tropical grooves, and a steady pulse running underneath the whole festival.

The Food: 10+ Twin Ports Trucks Roll In

Festiversary food has always been more than a side note — half the joy of the day is the lap around the truck row before you commit. This year's mobile kitchen lineup features 10+ trucks pulling together some of the most reliable and most beloved kitchens in the region:

• All American Club — Classic American fare, brats, and dogs
• Bowlz N Thangz — Eclectic global fusion dishes
• Burger Joint — Delicious burgers and more
• Johnny B's — New American cuisine, smash burgers, and more
• Oasis Del Norte — Authentic tacos, burritos, nachos, and drinks
• Pizza Luce — Pizza by the slice
• Sunhee's Little Table — Authentic Korean dishes
• Zen House Mobile — Sushi, rice bowls, ramen, curry, gyoza, and egg rolls
• Lake Superior Kettle Corn — Kettle corn and caramel corn
• Love Creamery — Delicious local ice cream
• MN Marshmallow — Deep-fried locally made marshmallows in S'moreo, Sea Salt Caramel, and Salted Caramel Brownie

Worth repeating since it trips people up every year: Festiversary is a cash-only festival, but the food trucks accept credit cards. ATMs are available on-site and at nearby banks and gas stations if you forget to hit one on the way in.

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Know Before You Go

A few quick logistics worth tucking in your back pocket before Saturday rolls around:

• 21+ to enjoy beer and canna — Valid ID required at the gate
• Kids welcome with an accompanying adult — It's a family-friendly festival
• Parking — City streets and nearby lots; check signage carefully
• Pets — No dogs or other pets allowed at Festiversary, even the well-behaved ones
• No lawn chairs and no outside beverages or weapons; bags are subject to search
• Cash only festival — Food trucks accept credit cards, and ATMs are available onsite and at nearby banks and gas stations
• Rain or shine (or snow) — It's an outdoor event in early-May Duluth, so dress and layer accordingly

A Tradition Worth Showing Up For

There's no shortage of festivals around Minnesota and Duluth once the weather finally turns. However, Festiversary stays at the top of my list every year because it's homegrown.

Bring a friend, bring your kids, wear layers (it's still May in Duluth), and raise a pint to another year. I’ll see you there!