Sacramento's beloved storybook park is trading its usual daytime crowd of toddlers and stroller-pushing parents for craft beer drinkers this month. Fairytale Town will close its gates to daytime visitors at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 22, to make way for the 2026 Tales & Ales Brewfest, an all-ages fundraiser running from 5 to 9 p.m. that pours unlimited tastes of craft beer from breweries across Sacramento and Northern California.
According to FOX40, general admission tickets run $55 for adults and $15 for children ages 2 to 12, while VIP tickets cost $100 for adults and $30 for kids in that same age range. Children age 1 and under get in free. VIP admission opens an hour earlier than general admission, at 4 p.m., giving early arrivals extra time to sample the festival's offerings before the crowds show up.
The early closure is a routine part of the event, since Fairytale Town needs the extra hours to set up tasting stations and food vendor areas across the property, according to the park's own event listing. Early bird tickets went on sale July 1 before regular pricing kicked in on August 1, giving budget-conscious fans a window to save on admission.
VIP Perks Include an Award-Winning Beer
VIP ticket holders get access to the air-conditioned Story Center all evening, where catered food will be served indoors, per the station's report. That climate-controlled cottage, with its thatched roof, opened in November 2022 as part of Fairytale Town's multi-million-dollar Timeless Tales expansion, a project built by Otto Construction, the same firm that constructed the original park back in 1959, according to Land Park News.
VIP attendees can also sample an exclusive beer from Morgan Territory Brewing and a wine from Silt Wine Co., not available to general admission ticket holders. Morgan Territory Brewing's inclusion carries some extra weight this year: the brewery was named Brewery of the Year at the Brewers Cup of California in April, a statewide competition that evaluated 1,323 entries from 203 independent craft breweries, as reported by Brewbound.
Food Trucks, Live Music, and Kid-Friendly Extras
Local food trucks will be onsite selling food and beverages separate from general admission tickets, with the same FOX40 report naming Nash & Proper, Tacos International, India Jones, Slice Mama Pizza, My Lumpia Lady, Kwento Coffee, and Boba Meetup among the scheduled vendors. Live music from Akalive will play on the Mother Goose Stage throughout the evening, and the festival will also include a raffle with prizes.
Despite the beer and wine on offer, organizers are keeping the event family-friendly. Children attending will receive complimentary root beer floats and can join hands-on activities in Mr. McGregor's Garden. Fairytale Town has also lined up shaded areas and Bonney Cool Zone misters to help attendees beat the late-August heat.
Funding a Sacramento Institution's Programs
Proceeds from Tales & Ales go toward Fairytale Town's education programs and park improvements, the same account notes. That funding supports a park with deep roots in the city: Fairytale Town opened to the public on August 29, 1959, developed by the Junior League of Sacramento and the City of Sacramento in the wake of Disneyland's 1955 debut, with opening weekend drawing more than 17,000 visitors, according to the park's own history page.
Today the nonprofit draws more than 250,000 visitors annually to its 3.5-acre site, per the City of Sacramento, which also notes the organization operates the Sacramento Adventure Playground in South Sacramento. Brewfest proceeds also help fund educational programming like the park's partnership with NorCal Arts, launched in April 2024, which presents live 25-to-30-minute children's plays focused on environmental awareness and conflict resolution featuring child actors, according to CapRadio.
The festival also taps into a thriving local industry. Greater Sacramento is home to more than 80 craft breweries, making it a key regional center for Northern California's craft beverage scene, according to a report from California State University, Sacramento. Fairytale Town sits inside the 160-acre William Land Park, which also houses the Sacramento Zoo and Funderland, a stretch of parkland that Hoodline previously reported draws steady foot traffic from locals and tourists alike year-round.
