Beerfest Asia goes online

Rock act Kollective (above) will perform at this year's Beerfest Asia, which will be held virtually.
Rock act Kollective (above) will perform at this year's Beerfest Asia, which will be held virtually. PHOTO: BEERFEST ASIA

Beerfest Asia is going ahead with a virtual format this year, complete with a "Party at Home" beer pack, interviews with brewers and live music performances attendees can view from the comfort of their homes.

To be held over this weekend and next, the 12th edition of the annual beer celebration will have a programme from 7.30 to 11.30pm over all four days.

Partnering e-commerce platform Shopee, Beerfest organiser Sphere Exhibits (a subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings) has announced a selection of more than 150 local and international beers available for purchase off Shopee Mall (shopee.sg/beerfestsg).

Those who make purchases of $70 and above get free delivery.

The organisers have also put together a special Beerfest Asia "Party at Home" kit worth $58, comprising 12 local and international beers such as Singapore's Brewlander, the Netherlands' Oranjeboom, England's Freedom Four and Germany's Schofferhofer. Delivery of the kit is free.

As with previous editions of Beerfest, there will be music performances, this time by 16 local acts over all four days - including rock acts such as Timbre Group bands TMA Collective and Kollective, as well as a line-up of house and EDM (electronic dance music) DJs.

Additionally, the sessions for the second weekend on June 5 and 6 will be streamed live from a studio with a full stage set-up for what the organisers call a "closer festival experience".

Attendees will also be able to watch interviews with brewers and beer brand representatives, and participate in live auctions of beers, giveaways and games.

All events will be streamed via Shopee Live on the Shopee App, on Facebook Live (facebook.com/ beerfestasia) and Beerfest Asia's YouTube channel (youtube.com/ user/beerfestasia).

Beerfest was initially set to be held at the Marina Promenade near the F1 Pit Building from June 25 to 28, but it has pivoted to an online version as a result of the pandemic.

Noting that the live entertainment and food and beverage industries have been some of the hardest-hit sectors, Beerfest Asia festival director Ian Lim said: "With Virtual Beerfest Asia, we hope to bring exciting content and offers to everyone going through this tough period and, at the same time, bring some much-needed income and revenue to the employees, freelancers and businesses that have been impacted by the pandemic."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 28, 2020, with the headline Beerfest Asia goes online. Subscribe