After being postponed in 2020 for reasons Victorians are all-too-familiar with, the Darker Days festival is rising from the ashes. Gather some friends and embark on the four-hour road trip up to Bright for a weekend full of dark beers, crackling bonfires and live music.
Hosted by Bright Brewery, the festivities will run from July 16-18. Some events across the weekend will be free, including the weekend welcome party, guided brewery tours, a 'Barker Days' RSPCA fundraising event and a Sunday recovery session with live music.
The rest of the events are ticketed, and you can either purchase a full weekend pass or get tickets to individual components of the weekend such as the ‘brewer for the day’ experience, the ‘darker dinner’ and the ‘brewer’s breakfast’.
Saturday is the main festival day and you can look forward to ten hours of hot food, cold beer, and live music by a line-up of Victorian musicians. Some of the artists that will be taking the stage include roots singer-songwriter Kim Churchill and pop-rock musician Samsaruh. Children can attend the main festival day free of charge.
But of course, the star of Darker Days is the variety of dark, decadent beers on offer. The special guest brewers are Seaford-based Mr Banks Brewing Co. and Collingwood-based Molly Rose Brewing, and there will be plenty of Bright Brewery beers on offer as well. Sip on some new barrel-aged releases or a schooner of a luscious, chocolatey Russian imperial stout. For dessert, try a creamy affogato stout sundae.
Tickets are on sale now.