Event History

HISTORY OF THE SAN DIEGO FESTIVAL OF BEER

The Festival of Beer started in 1994, as an idea to to raise money for a cause that a group of friends were dedicated to. That cause was the fight against cancer. Patterned after a popular tasting event in San Luis Obispo, and backed by a large national charity, the event was held for two years in a park setting, but was only marginally successful, and funding for a third year looked doubtful.

A small group of dedicated professionals who believed in the festival concept then seized the opportunity to form a non-profit organization and created a team to independently run the re-designed beer festival in 1996 as a street festival. This group called itself the San Diego Professionals Against Cancer, or SDPAC, for short. The event was successful and was held again, year after year. Funds raised were donated to local San Diego cancer related charities, patient treatment, and research organizations.

Now, with around 5,000 guests regularly attending the events and 70 breweries pushing the beer total to over 150 brews, the event is more successful than ever and continues to grow. Recent donations have included Rady Children’s Hospital and the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center.

Please note that we also accept fully tax-deductible cash donations year-round by mail to:
SDPAC, 10605 Mathieson St, San Diego, CA 92129

For more information on SDPAC, please see our website at:

http://www.sdpac.org