Written by Aaron-Michael Fox.
Cheers, West Virginia! It’s festival season in the Mountain State as summer temperatures – and outdoor activities – peak. This summer marks the second decade of WV’s largest, and longest-running, craft beer festival in “Rails & Ales” on August 10, 2024 in downtown Huntington.
The Rails & Ales craft beer festival was launched in 2013 by Huntington’s Better Beer Coalition to expand the craft beer options in West Virginia and the tri-state area.
“The reason we created the Rails & Ales Festival is because we wanted to grow the craft beer culture in Huntington and improve access to craft beer by demonstrating a demand in our area,” Jessica Pressman, one of the festival organizers told the Herald-Dispatch.
The Rails & Ales Festival has been a success story from the word go. The first festival in 2013 sold out of its allotted 750 tickets in a matter of days. The next year, when available tickets were doubled to 1,500, the festival sold out in a few hours. By 2017, the official attendance had grown to more than 6,000.
“What started as a small project for a few craft beer lovers has really turned into an economic development opportunity for all of downtown,” Pressman said. “The hotels get filled up with out-of-town guests, the restaurants are busy. The festival brings a lot of foot traffic downtown and it’s great exposure for the city as a whole.”
While the original location for the festival was Heritage Station, which was a very popular venue, Rails & Ales quickly outgrew that spot. “We made the move to Harris Riverfront Park [in 2016] and we’re so glad we did,” Pressman continued.
“[Riverfront Park] is so beautiful and it’s underutilized. There is a ton of useable space, the shade trees are perfect and there’s always a breeze, and the sunsets along the river are gorgeous. It’s turned out to be the perfect setting for the beer fest. We would love to see that park used for more festivals and events.”
Rails & Ales isn’t just about drinking beer all day. It’s also about food, a local artisan market, and music. So, there’s plenty to do—even if you don’t drink, or are the designated driver.
Overall, the beer and the music take center stage at Rails & Ales. Since moving to Riverfont Park, the festival has showcased local and regionally touring bands on the main stage. Past acts have included local favorites Tyler Childers, Of The Dell, Ona, The M.F.B., and The Dividends.
This year’s entertainment is being presented by WhizzBang Booking And Management and will feature DJ Sober Doberman and Mamba Beats (4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. – Beer Garden), Dinosaur Burps and Infidelfonics (6:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. – main stage), and John Inghram’s Tom Petty Tribute (7:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m. – Main Stage).
John Inghram is a West Virginia super-musician who is bringing a gaggle of Mountain State stars to the stage for the Tom Petty Tribute show. It is expected to be can’t-miss entertainment for the Jewel City. If you want to come for the concert, but don’t want to buy a festival ticket, Concert Tickets are available for $20 with the option to purchase full-sized beers in the Beer Garden.
VIP tickets for this year are sold out, but General Admission tickets ($55) and Concert tickets ($20) are still available HERE. General Admission tickets include a souvenir glass and unlimited beer & cider samples. Concert tickets include admission only.
Photos from the past Rails & Ales Festivals below:
