Vancouver Craft Beer Week
Vancouver Craft Beer Week (VCBW) operates a single annual craft beer and wing festival at PNE Playland in Vancouver, BC, serving adult beverage enthusiasts (19+) through GA and VIP ticket tiers, a digital token sampling system, and on-site food and beverage sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Vancouver Craft Beer Week does
Vancouver Craft Beer Week (VCBW) operates a single annual craft beer and wing festival at PNE Playland in Vancouver, British Columbia, positioned as BC's biggest event of its kind. The festival features 150+ craft beers and ciders from local and international breweries, curated wing offerings from Vancouver restaurants, and live DJ entertainment aimed at adult beverage enthusiasts aged 19 and older. The product suite consists of two ticketing tiers — General Admission ($55-$75) and Fast Pass VIP ($100-$140) — supported by a digital token system that lets attendees pre-purchase or top up via mobile for approximately $4 beverage samples, plus on-site food vendor sales via credit or debit card.
The business model is event-driven: revenue concentrates in a single multi-hour session with tiered ticket pricing that escalates from early-bird to regular pricing to create scarcity, supplemented by per-sample token spend and food/beverage on-site transactions. Distribution runs exclusively through Ticketleader.ca as the official ticketing partner, with all tickets issued as mobile passes 48 hours before the event; customer acquisition relies on the Feaster email list for pre-sale and VIP access, the VCBW website for 2027 sign-ups, and organic social. VCBW is operated as a brand within Feaster, a parent that runs multiple food and drink events, and receives financial support from the Province of British Columbia.
The core platform is light: a token accounting system for beverage sampling, mobile ticketing integration with Ticketleader.ca, a Squarespace-hosted website, and an email list — there is no proprietary software, no API, and no mobile app. The 2026 edition was cancelled due to FIFA-related venue and scheduling pressure in Vancouver, with public commitment to return in 2027. Headcount is 11-50, the company is private with no disclosed funding rounds, and revenue is not publicly disclosed.
Vancouver Craft Beer Week firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vancouver Craft Beer Week
- Legal name
- Vancouver Craft Beer Week
- Website
- https://vancouvercraftbeerweek.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Vancouver Craft Beer Week (VCBW) operates a single annual craft beer and wing festival at PNE Playland in Vancouver, BC, serving adult beverage enthusiasts (19+) through GA and VIP ticket tiers, a digital token sampling system, and on-site food and beverage sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Vancouver Craft Beer Week industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Food & Beverage Festival Events
- NAICS
- Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Food, Drink & Culinary Community Festivals (Community-Led) (MPAGAEAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Beer, Brewery & Craft Beverage Tastings (THAJAGAE), Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG)
Keywords
Where Vancouver Craft Beer Week is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Vancouver Craft Beer Week business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling GA and VIP Fast Pass tickets. GA tickets priced at $55 early bird rising to $75 regular. VIP Fast Pass tickets priced at $100 early bird rising to $140 regular. Limited ticket quantities create scarcity and price escalation over time.
- Token System - Beverage Sampling: Digital tokens sold at the event for craft beer and cider samples. Most samples cost approximately $4 in tokens. Tokens are pre-purchasable or bought via mobile at the event.
- Food and Beverage On-Site Sales: Food items available for purchase on-site using credit/debit cards. Wing festival features offerings from local restaurants and food vendors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | General Admission - Entry ticket to VCBW festival |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | VIP Fast Pass - Priority access with ride benefits |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Vancouver Craft Beer Week product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vancouver Craft Beer Week operates an annual ticketed craft beer and wing festival held at PNE Playland in Vancouver, BC. The event features 150+ craft beers and ciders from local and international breweries, wing offerings from Vancouver restaurants designed for beer pairing, and live DJ entertainment. Revenue is generated through tiered ticket sales (General Admission and VIP Fast Pass), a digital token system for beverage sampling, and on-site food vendor sales.
Product overview
Vancouver Craft Beer Week (VCBW) operates as a single, unified annual festival product rather than a platform architecture. The core offering is the VCBW Craft Beer & Music Festival, BC's largest craft beer and wing festival, featuring 150+ craft beers and ciders, wing vendors, and DJ entertainment. The product suite includes General Admission and Fast Pass VIP ticketing tiers, supported by a digital token system for beverage purchases. The festival is hosted annually at PNE Playland in Vancouver, BC, with ticket sales and event information distributed through the VCBW website and Ticketleader.ca. Note: VCBW 2026 was cancelled due to FIFA-related scheduling conflicts; the event is committed to returning in 2027.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Vancouver Craft Beer Week (VCBW) Festival BC's biggest craft beer and wing festival featuring 150+ craft beers and ciders from local and international breweries, curated wings from Vancouver's top restaurants designed for beer pairing, and live DJ entertainment, held annually at PNE Playland in Vancouver, BC.
- General Admission (GA) Tickets Standard entry ticket to the VCBW festival, priced at $55-$75, granting access to the festival grounds, craft beer and cider tastings (via token purchase), food vendors, and live music performances.
- Fast Pass VIP Tickets Premium tickets priced at $100-$140 offering priority access and expedited entry to 5 specific rides at Playland (Atmosfear, The Beast, Breakdance, The Pirateship, Scrambler, Sea-to-Sky Swinger) via rapid pass entrances; sold in limited quantities.
- Digital Token System for Beverage Sampling Digital token system used at the event for purchasing craft beer and cider samples; tokens can be pre-purchased online or bought via mobile phone at the event, with most beverage samples costing approximately $4 in tokens plus tax.
Companies that use Vancouver Craft Beer Week
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Vancouver Craft Beer Week technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Vancouver Craft Beer Week partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- FeastercoreFeaster is the parent organization that operates Vancouver Craft Beer Week. Feaster creates food and drink festival events including VCBW, rosé day parties, Oktoberfest celebrations, and wine tastings. Feaster is also responsible for VCBW communications, ticket announcements, and event management.
- PNE PlaylandcorePNE Playland is the venue host for VCBW events. Located at 2901 E. Hastings in Vancouver, BC. PNE security team provides on-site security for VCBW events.
- Ticketleader.cacoreOfficial ticketing partner for all VCBW ticket sales. Tickets are delivered as mobile tickets 48 hours prior to the event.
- Province of British ColumbiaminorThe Province of British Columbia provides financial support to VCBW as acknowledged on the website footer.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Vancouver Craft Beer Week competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Edmonton Craft Beer Festival: Western Canadian craft beer sampling event featuring brewery samples, food pairings, and tiered ticketing. Comparable to VCBW in audience and festival format.
- Calgary International Beerfest: Large-scale annual beer festival in Calgary showcasing hundreds of breweries and beverage producers with food pairings. Directly comparable to VCBW in scale, audience, and multi-day ticketed tasting format.
- Great Canadian Beer Festival: Long-running Victoria, BC craft beer festival presenting 60+ Canadian breweries plus food vendors and live music. Comparable to VCBW as a BC-based regional craft beer festival with similar vendor sampling and entertainment programming.
- Toronto Craft Beer Festival: Annual multi-day craft beer festival in Toronto featuring brewery sampling, food pairings, and live entertainment. Directly comparable to VCBW as a regional Canadian craft beer-tasting event with tiered ticketing and curated brewery lineups.
- Seattle Beer Week: Pacific Northwest regional craft beer celebration with multi-venue tasting events, brewery activations, and curated food pairings. Comparable to VCBW for craft beer event programming and audience demographic.
- Montreal Beer Week / Festibière: Major Quebec craft beer festival featuring dozens of breweries with food pairings, tiered tickets, and live entertainment. Comparable to VCBW as a Canadian multi-tier beer festival.
- Portland Craft Beer Festival: Annual Pacific Northwest craft beer festival offering brewery samples and food pairing experiences. Comparable to VCBW in event structure and target demographic.
Broad incumbents
- San Diego Beer Week: Large-scale, decade-old craft beer week with multi-venue programming across the San Diego craft beer ecosystem. Comparable to VCBW in target audience but operates at broader scale and longer duration.
Others
- Ticketsign (Feaster): Parent operating company (Feaster) that produces VCBW plus rosé day parties, Oktoberfest celebrations, and wine tastings. Comparable as portfolio-operator peer in food/drink festival production rather than direct competition.
- PNE / Pacific National Exhibition: Owner/operator of PNE Playland, the venue host for VCBW. Comparable as both venue partner and as the broader organization whose programming calendar interacts with VCBW's annual timing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Vancouver Craft Beer Week social profiles
Digital presenceVancouver Craft Beer Week financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vancouver Craft Beer Week leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Vancouver Craft Beer Week funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vancouver Craft Beer Week M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Vancouver Craft Beer Week
What does Vancouver Craft Beer Week do?
Vancouver Craft Beer Week operates an annual ticketed craft beer and wing festival held at PNE Playland in Vancouver, BC. The event features 150+ craft beers and ciders from local and international breweries, wing offerings from Vancouver restaurants designed for beer pairing, and live DJ entertainment. Revenue is generated through tiered ticket sales (General Admission and VIP Fast Pass), a digital token system for beverage sampling, and on-site food vendor sales.
Is Vancouver Craft Beer Week a public or private company?
Vancouver Craft Beer Week is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Vancouver Craft Beer Week founded?
Vancouver Craft Beer Week was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Vancouver Craft Beer Week based?
Vancouver Craft Beer Week is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Vancouver Craft Beer Week make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are token System - Beverage Sampling and food and Beverage On-Site Sales.
Who are Vancouver Craft Beer Week's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Edmonton Craft Beer Festival, Calgary International Beerfest, Great Canadian Beer Festival, Toronto Craft Beer Festival, Seattle Beer Week, Montreal Beer Week / Festibière and Portland Craft Beer Festival. San Diego Beer Week is listed as a broad incumbent. Others are Ticketsign (Feaster) and PNE / Pacific National Exhibition.
Does Vancouver Craft Beer Week have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vancouver Craft Beer Week.
What industry is Vancouver Craft Beer Week in?
Vancouver Craft Beer Week's product category is Food & Beverage Festival Events. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAEAF, Food, Drink & Culinary Community Festivals (Community-Led), with a secondary code of THAJAGAE, Beer, Brewery & Craft Beverage Tastings. Its NAICS code is 7224 and its SIC code is 7900.