Beer festivals are a cherished tradition worldwide, celebrating the artistry, diversity, and community spirit of brewing.

In the United States, where craft beer has exploded into a cultural phenomenon over the past few decades, these events draw massive crowds, showcase thousands of brews, and serve as a testament to the nation’s love affair with hops, malt, and yeast. But when it comes to identifying the largest beer festival in the US, the answer isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. Is it about attendance? The number of beers poured? The sheer scale of the event? Several festivals vie for the crown, each with its own claim to fame. In this article, we’ll explore the leading contenders—most notably the Great American Beer Festival (GABF)—and examine what makes a beer festival “the largest” in the American context.

Defining “Largest”: Metrics That Matter

Before diving into specifics, let’s establish what “largest” could mean in the realm of beer festivals. Attendance is an obvious metric—how many thirsty revelers show up to raise a glass? Another is the number of beers available—does the festival offer a dizzying array of styles and breweries? Scale also matters: the physical size of the venue, the duration of the event, and its economic or cultural impact. Finally, there’s the subjective buzz—how much does the festival resonate with beer lovers nationwide? With these criteria in mind, the Great American Beer Festival often emerges as the frontrunner, but other events like Denver’s Oktoberfest, Oregon’s Brewfest, and even niche giants like Extreme Beer Fest deserve a closer look.

The Great American Beer Festival: The Titan of American Beer

Held annually in Denver, Colorado, the Great American Beer Festival is widely regarded as the largest beer festival in the United States—and for good reason. Organized by the Brewers Association, GABF has been a cornerstone of the American craft beer movement since its inception in 1982. What began as a modest gathering of 22 breweries and 800 attendees has ballooned into a colossal celebration that draws tens of thousands of visitors, features over 4,000 beers, and spans multiple days.

In 2024, GABF welcomed over 40,000 attendees across its three-day run, with more than 800 breweries pouring samples in the massive Colorado Convention Center. The festival’s tasting hall alone spans 360,000 square feet—equivalent to nearly seven football fields—where attendees sip from one-ounce tasting glasses, sampling everything from crisp lagers to barrel-aged stouts and experimental sours. With over 2,000 brewery representatives on hand, it’s a pilgrimage for beer enthusiasts and industry professionals alike.

One of GABF’s defining features is its competition, often dubbed the “Olympics of Beer.” In 2024, more than 9,000 beers were entered across 97 categories, judged by a panel of experts awarding coveted gold, silver, and bronze medals. Winning a GABF medal can catapult a small brewery into the national spotlight, making the event not just a festival but a career-defining stage for brewers. The sheer volume of beers judged and poured—over 4,000 available to taste—sets GABF apart in terms of variety and scale.

Attendance, too, is a key factor in GABF’s claim to the “largest” title. Pre-pandemic peaks saw upwards of 60,000 attendees, though recent years have stabilized at a still-impressive 40,000-plus. Compare that to Germany’s Oktoberfest in Munich, which draws millions, and GABF might seem modest—but in the US, where beer festivals are numerous but typically smaller, GABF stands unrivaled. Its focus on craft beer rather than mass-produced lagers also distinguishes it from broader cultural festivals, cementing its status as a mecca for the artisanal brewing community.

Oktoberfest in the US: A Contender with a Twist

While GABF dominates the craft beer scene, Oktoberfest celebrations across the US offer a different flavor of “large.”

Inspired by Munich’s legendary festival, American Oktoberfests blend German traditions—lederhosen, pretzels, and oompah bands—with local flair. Among them, Denver’s Oktoberfest stands out as one of the biggest, often cited for its massive attendance and longevity.

Denver Oktoberfest, held over two weekends in late September and early October, attracts upwards of 350,000 visitors annually, dwarfing GABF’s numbers. Spanning multiple city blocks in Denver’s Ballpark District, it features flowing steins of Märzen (the traditional Oktoberfest lager), bratwurst stands, and live music. Breweries like Paulaner and Spaten ship kegs straight from Bavaria, while local Colorado brewers add their own twists. In 2024, organizers estimated pouring over 50,000 liters of beer—a staggering volume that reflects the event’s scale.

So why doesn’t Denver Oktoberfest automatically claim the “largest” title? It’s a matter of focus. While it’s a beer-centric event, Oktoberfest leans heavily on cultural celebration—think polka dancing and dachshund races—rather than the beer diversity and industry prestige of GABF. The beer list, though substantial, is narrower, dominated by German styles rather than the kaleidoscope of flavors at GABF. Still, in terms of raw attendance and community impact, Denver Oktoberfest is a heavyweight that can’t be ignored.

Elsewhere, cities like Cincinnati (home to Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, with over 500,000 attendees) and Leavenworth, Washington, host massive Oktoberfests that rival Denver’s. These events prioritize volume and festivity over beer curation, making them less direct competitors to GABF but undeniable giants in the US festival landscape.

Oregon Brewers Festival: A West Coast Challenger

On the West Coast, the Oregon Brewers Festival (OBF) in Portland has long been a contender for the “largest” crown, though it’s faced challenges in recent years. Launched in 1988, OBF earned a reputation as one of America’s premier craft beer showcases, held along the Willamette River with Mount Hood as a backdrop. At its peak in the early 2000s, it drew over 85,000 attendees across five days, pouring beers from more than 80 breweries.

OBF’s strength was its accessibility: free admission (though tasting required a ticket), a family-friendly vibe, and a focus on Pacific Northwest breweries, a region synonymous with craft beer innovation. In 2017, attendees sampled 90 distinct beers, from hoppy IPAs to fruity wheat ales, with a total pour volume exceeding 15,000 gallons. The festival’s riverside tents stretched across Waterfront Park, creating an open-air party that felt both intimate and expansive.

However, OBF’s dominance waned after 2019, when it went on hiatus due to rising costs, shifting attendee preferences, and, later, the pandemic. While organizers have hinted at a potential revival, its absence in recent years cedes ground to GABF. Still, at its height, OBF’s attendance eclipsed GABF’s, making it a historical benchmark for what “largest” can mean in the US beer festival scene.

Niche Giants: Extreme Beer Fest and Beyond

Beyond these titans, niche festivals offer their own claims to greatness. Boston’s Extreme Beer Fest, hosted by BeerAdvocate, caters to adventurers seeking boundary-pushing brews—think beers brewed with ghost peppers, aged in tequila barrels, or infused with lobster. While smaller in scale (around 5,000 attendees per event), it punches above its weight with over 400 beers and a cult following. Held biannually in Boston and occasionally other cities, it’s less about size and more about intensity, but its influence underscores the diversity of America’s beer festival landscape.

Other notables include the San Francisco Beer Week Opening Gala (a kickoff to a region-wide celebration) and the Firestone Walker Invitational in Paso Robles, California, which draws global brewers and a devoted crowd. These events, while smaller than GABF or Oktoberfest, highlight the depth of America’s beer culture, where “largest” doesn’t always mean “best” or “most significant.”

Cultural and Economic Impact: The Bigger Picture

Size isn’t just about numbers—it’s about resonance. GABF, for instance, generates an estimated $30 million in economic activity for Denver, from hotel bookings to bar tabs. It’s a magnet for tourism and a platform for small breweries to gain traction in a crowded market. Denver Oktoberfest, meanwhile, boosts local businesses and reinforces the city’s German heritage, while OBF historically fueled Portland’s reputation as a craft beer capital.

Culturally, these festivals reflect America’s evolving relationship with beer. The craft boom—over 9,000 breweries operate nationwide as of 2025—has shifted tastes from light lagers to bold, innovative styles. GABF embodies this shift, offering a snapshot of trends like hazy IPAs, pastry stouts, and low-alcohol session beers. Oktoberfests, by contrast, preserve tradition, while events like Extreme Beer Fest push the envelope, proving there’s room for all in the US beer scene.

So, What’s the Largest?

After weighing attendance, beer variety, and impact, the Great American Beer Festival emerges as the largest beer festival in the US by most meaningful metrics. Its 40,000-plus attendees, 4,000-plus beers, and unrivaled industry clout make it the gold standard for craft beer celebrations. Denver Oktoberfest may dwarf it in attendance, but its narrower focus and cultural lens place it in a different category. OBF, once a rival, has faded from contention, while niche events lack the scale to compete.

GABF’s size isn’t just physical—it’s symbolic. It’s where brewers dream of glory, where fans discover their next favorite pint, and where America’s craft beer revolution finds its loudest voice. As of March 1, 2025, with the next GABF looming on the horizon, its reign as the nation’s largest beer festival remains undisputed. Whether you’re a hophead, a casual sipper, or a brewer chasing a medal, GABF is the pinnacle of America’s beer-soaked festivities—a towering toast to the art of the brew.