By Kathy Collins
The Tampa Theatre is proud to announce that its Fifth Annual Movie-Themed Beer Festival, otherwise known as BeerFest, will be held on Saturday, June 18 beginning at 7 p.m. The Tampa Theatre is located at 711 N. Franklin St. in downtown Tampa. BeerFest 2016 will tee up on an evening of irreverent fun with “Hoppy Gilmore.”
Over the years, Tampa’s majestic movie palace has had a lot of fun adding a tongue-in-cheek twist to some familiar movie titles to create the themes for their summer BeerFest. The event celebrates local independent eateries and offers unique craft beer. It is also an opportunity to help support the not-for-profit theatre’s artistic and educational programming and provide a great excuse for movie-inspired costumes.
The co-chairs for BeerFest are Michelle Baker, owner of The Refinery and Fodder & Shine in Seminole Heights, and Veronica Danko, owner of The Independent Bar and Café, also in Seminole Heights. They have worked to put together a great event that offers plenty of craft beer and local brewers as well as snacks and samples from some of Tampa’s top independent restaurants, all against the backdrop of the 1996 Adam Sandler hit, Happy Gilmore, which will be shown on the big screen.
Some of the breweries that will be participating including Cigar City Brewing, Coppertail Brewing Company and The Independent. Some restaurants include The Refinery, Fodder & Shine, Ichicoro and Rooster and the Till.
Jill Witecki of the Tampa Theatre said, “The Tampa Bay craft beer scene has just exploded over the past few years, and we love working with Michelle and Veronica and all of the amazing independent restaurants. If you are a beer fan, BeerFest is truly a taste of the best of what the area has to offer.”
Witcki added, “Of course, as with most Tampa Theatre events, BeerFest has a sense of humor. This year’s Hoppy Gilmore follows on the heels of previous events like ‘Beer and Loathing in Las Vegas’ and ‘The Big Lebrewski.’ While the themes may be silly, the purpose is most serious, to support the artistic, educational and community programming at Tampa’s 90 year old movie palace.”
For more information on the Fifth Annual BeerFest and to get tickets, visit www.tampatheatre.org.
