Max Higbee Center will present April Brews Day at Bellingham's Depot Market Square on Saturday, April 27, 2019 . Brews Day will feature over 65 PNW craft breweries and bring more than 130 different beers, including hoppy IPAs, crisp ciders, full-bodied stouts, and gluten-free options. Max Higbee Center is proud to celebrate the 18th anniversary of April Brews Day and anticipates 4,000 attendees this year. The event will showcase twelve local food trucks, games, live music from Out of the Ashes, Blackwater, and GrooveBot. In 2017, the venue nearly doubled in the size to provide more space for attendees to enjoy the beer, music, and games. This year the festival will have fewer crowds to shorten beer lines, make room for games, include more food trucks, and bring a better stage and sound system to dance the night away. Tickets go on sale Monday, April 1st at 7 a.m. Tickets are $40 for General Admission and $60 for VIP and include a collectible tasting cup and tasting tickets for beer and food. VIP ticket holders receive exclusive access to the event one hour prior to general admission and receive additional tasting tickets. Tickets may be purchased online at aprilbrewsday.org. April Brews Day is the culminating event of Bellingham Beer Week, a collaboration that highlights Bellingham’s booming beer scene. Bellingham Beer Week offers numerous events hosted by each of Bellingham’s local breweries and a few brew houses and pubs as well. “We are thrilled to be a part of Bellingham Beer Week because our local breweries are such incredible supporters of April Brews Day,” said Kait Whiteside, Executive Director of Max Higbee Center. “We really couldn’t do this event without them.” April Brews Day is a fundraiser for Max Higbee Center’s community-based recreation programs for people with developmental disabilities. The Center offers a wide variety of activities, including adaptive cooking classes, YMCA workouts, sports, art projects, dance classes, music events, trail hikes, and more. “Many of the people we serve are very isolated and experience significant barriers to accessing the community,” said Whiteside. “Max Higbee Center’s programs aim to diminish those barriers and create opportunities for recreation and friendship. We would not be able to run our programs without April Brews Day, which brings in nearly 50% of our annual budget.” April Brews Day started in 2001 when Max Higbee Center had a need for funding, a wild idea to create Bellingham’s first beer festival and a partnership with Boundary Bay Brewery. April Brews Day grew from a handful of breweries and a few hundred people to Bellingham’s largest beer festival. To end with April Brews Day’s official slogan, “Let it rain beer!”
