History of Beervana
A journey through the years of one of New Zealand's oldest Beer Festival.
Beervana is a celebration of craft beer, as close to heaven as beer enthusiasts will ever find. Each year thousands of visitors get amongst hundreds of different craft beers to learn, imbibe and celebrate beer and the people that make it. Brewers come from all across New Zealand, Australia and a few lucky breweries handpicked from around the world.
Beervana started as the New Zealand Beer, Wine and Spirits Council's NZ Beer Expo in 2001 which featured events all over Wellington celebrating the growing NZ Beer Industry. The BrewNZ Beer Expo then turned into The Great New Zealand Beer Show which in turn evolved into Taste BrewNZ at the Wellington Town Hall all the way through to The Brewers Guild of New Zealand creating "Beervana". The festival sold to then Guild president David Cryer who in 2011 moved it out of the town hall and into the Wellington Regional Stadium. The Wellington Culinary Events Trust brought Beervana in 2015 and has owned it ever since.
Much like the industry, it has grown bigger every year. Now it is the country’s ultimate celebration of craft beer with around 16,000 people through the doors and over 70 breweries, serving up hundreds of beers. Served alongside the best food from all over New Zealand.
Beervana is most certainly a thirst quencher, but with the amount of visual and interactive activity happening all over the concourse, it’s also a feast for the eyes. It’s the end of the rainbow for beer lovers from outrageous brewery displays to silent discos, colourful beer cocktails to cheeseburger spring rolls, if you want to tour the yellow brick, simply look around and view it.
The Purpose
- Tell the craft beer capital story through unexpected experiences
- Raise the profile of craft beer through brewers, manufacturers and suppliers
- Increase Beer Tourism to Wellington and New Zealand
The Beervana rebrand
Beervana was seen as a celebration of craft beer, as close to heaven as beer enthusiasts will ever find. The existing brand identity had been used for five years and during that time served this messaging well.
Over time however, the messaging and understanding of the festival has changed. The festival is now shifted to be an opportunity to expand your mind and enter an immersive beer wonderland. It’s a journey that celebrates good beer and is a journey to be taken with friends.
Because of this shift, 2022 was the opportune time to refresh the look of festival to reflect what Beervana is about.
