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Sandpoint Beerfest is returning this Saturday, July 10, from noon-5 p.m. at the lawn in front of Trinity at City Beach.

Tickets are $50 online and $60 at the gate, said Kate McAlister, CEO and president of the Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce. Now in its seventh year, the event will be limited to 500 guests.

“We want it to be small and intimate,” she said. “We do get a lot of people from Spokane and Coeur d’ Alene.

The event will also feature the band Tennis, playing from 1-4 p.m., and is limited to those 21 years or older.

“They're a beloved dance band. And one lives in Chicago, one lives in Seattle. And they sort of have this little reunion every year on Beerfest weekend, and they always call us and say, ‘Hey, can we still play at the Beerfest?’ So we're really excited for them to be back.”

Bringing back the Beerfest after a year without was exciting for everyone involved, McAlister said.

“Unfortunately, because of the pandemic some of [the breweries] will not be coming back,” she said. “But No-Li is going to be here from Spokane, and Brick West Brewing is new, they’re really great.”

The Beerfest will include additional local brewers such as MickDuff’s Brewing Company, Laughing Dog Brewing, Matchwood Brewing, Post Falls Brewing Company, Timber Town Beer Company, Paradise Creek Brewery and Summit Cider.

New this year, because the chamber canceled the Summer Sampler due to staffing shortages at local restaurants, the Beerfest will be offering tickets for the Festival at Sandpoint.

“Usually, with Summer Sampler, for every 10 tickets you buy, you get free entry for Festival tickets,” McAlister said. “We couldn't have the Summer Sampler because the restaurant is so badly understaffed. And so we're going to carry those tickets over to beer. So we're going to sell [raffle tickets] three for $5. And you can put them in whatever bucket for whatever concert you want to attend [and] we’ll give a pair of tickets to each concert.”

Because the chamber is a sponsor of the Festival, they get tickets every year, she said. They decided it would be best to give them to the community.

There will also be a raffle for the highly coveted “Brew Crew” T-shirts, which are generally reserved for volunteers, and a table to purchase previous years’ glassware in addition to the 2021 commemorative beer glass.

McAlister added the event would not be possible without the support of local sponsors and volunteers.

“It’s our one and only big event this year and we're really excited about it,” she said. “Seeing familiar faces and things like that, because events are always fun by the end of the day. I'm exhausted, but it’s a lot of fun.”

A link to the event page and tickets for the Beerfest can be found on the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce Facebook page under “Events.”