Calling all beer enthusiasts, foodies and footie fans (aka: 98 per cent of Sydneysiders): your dream weekend itinerary is loading. Sydney’s Beer Footy and Food Festival is back for 2026 – and for its tenth birthday, it’s going bigger than ever with a multi-day, multi-venue takeover of some of the city’s most beloved footy grounds.
Things will kick off at North Sydney Oval from May 16–17, with a stacked lineup of rugby league clashes that will ultimately unfold over two full days. On day one we'll watch the Penrith Panthers play the Western Suburbs Magpies, the Newcastle Knights verse the Newtown Jets and the North Sydney Bears verse Sydney Roosters. Day two will see the South Sydney Rabbitohs play the Manly Sea Eagles, New Zealand Warriors play the Melbourne Storm and St George Illawarra Dragons play the Parramatta Eels. It’s proper footy played right – close to the crowd and fuelled by community spirit (and craft beer, obvs).
The beer lineup reads like a greatest hits of Sydney’s indie brewing scene, with pours from Young Henrys, Philter, Wayward Brewing Co and more. There’s also a solid lineup of street food stalls (faves include gozleme, tacos and a smoky barbecue joint), plus a brand-new precinct spilling into St Leonards Park for maximum snacking space.
Then there’s the chaos factor. The crowd-favourite Beer Mile will return – yes, that’s people attempting to run laps while knocking back beers – with organisers aiming to break a spectator world record of 6,200. New for 2026 is “The Reggies”, a tongue-in-cheek fan zone inspired by rugby league’s most infamous fictional pest, complete with mullet wigs and moustaches for a good cause.
A few months later (Saturday, July 18), the party will head to the Inner West – wrapping up where it all began at Henson Park. For the festival’s tenth birthday blowout at its spiritual home, expect more footy plus gloriously unhinged entertainment like Pro Wrestling Australia and the legendary Streaker Bullrush.
Tickets start at $18.40, with kids under 12 coming along for free. You’ll find North Syd tickets here and Henson Park tickets over here, and more event details over here.
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