Downtown Petaluma's riverfront will fill with beer tents, live bands, and thousands of thirsty attendees on Sept. 12, as the Petaluma River Craft Beer Festival returns for its 12th year with 24 participating breweries, several newcomers, and a leadership shake-up behind the scenes. The festival runs from 1 to 5 p.m. along Water Street and Western Avenue, with the entrance situated on Water Street near the Balshaw Bridge.
This year marks the first time the Petaluma Area Chamber of Commerce is not involved in producing the event, according to The Press Democrat. Petaluma Valley Rotary had produced the festival alongside the Chamber through last year, but the club has now partnered with the Petaluma Sunrise Rotary Club to run the event as a two-club effort. The festival is co-chaired by John Moller, who represents Petaluma Valley Rotary, and Katherine Wells, who represents Petaluma Sunrise Rotary.
New Breweries And a Cider First
Several breweries are pouring at the festival for the first time this year. The Keg Stand Brewing Co., which operates a downtown Novato brewpub, is joining the lineup and plans to pour four beers: Dream Ale, a 5.2% ABV cream ale; Lunch Pale, a 5.5% ABV pale ale; Getting Groceries, a 6.6% ABV West Coast IPA; and Faded Kilt, a 9% ABV strong Scotch ale. The brewery may also bring small-batch strawberry sour and citrus blonde offerings, per the same account. Keg Stand owner Jacob Gullett said the brewery is looking forward to meeting new people, spending time with other breweries and sharing beers.
Laughing Monk Brewing of San Francisco is also making its festival debut this year. On the cider side, Gowan's Cider of Philo in Mendocino County is joining Petaluma-based Goat Rock Cider, marking the first time the festival has featured two hard cider producers at once. Oakland's Ghost Town Brewing, East Bay-based Drakes Brewing, Boonville's Anderson Valley Brewing and Napa's Freedom Juice 1776 round out the newcomers, with Freedom Juice 1776 debuting a carbonated, fermented agave beverage.
Music Lineup Brings a First-Time Headliner
The festival's live music lineup includes The Schlick Ones, fronted by Shane Schlick, who play Americana and folk-rock acoustic music and are headlining the event for the first time. Randy & the Special Agents and Over the Line round out the performance schedule, giving attendees a mix of sounds to accompany their tastings.
Beyond the beer and music, the festival features food from several local restaurants alongside the two dozen breweries and beverage makers pouring samples. Attendance is limited to people age 21 and older with valid identification, in keeping with California's regulatory requirements for events serving alcohol. Under state rules, qualified nonprofit organizations hosting public alcohol events must secure a Daily License, known as Form ABC-221, and keep a certified Responsible Beverage Service server on-site throughout alcohol service, according to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Tickets And Where the Money Goes
General admission costs $60 in advance and includes a commemorative beer glass, with tickets rising to $65 on the event day if any remain. Designated-driver tickets cost $25 and include snacks, nonalcoholic beverages and a $10 food-vendor certificate. Tickets are available at petalumarivercraftbeerfest.org.
Proceeds from the festival support Petaluma schoolchildren, seniors and unhoused residents through nonprofit programs, as well as enhancement and protection projects for the Petaluma River and its wetlands. That watershed is no small patch of ground: it covers 146 square miles and contains more than 5,000 acres of salt marsh, representing the single largest and least disturbed ancient tidal marshland remaining in California, according to Friends of the Petaluma River. Rotary-backed efforts in the area have also included literacy programs, with Petaluma Valley Rotary and other local clubs sponsoring Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to deliver free monthly books to pre-K and kindergarten children across Sonoma County.
A Tradition Rooted In Petaluma's Brewing Legacy
The festival traces its roots back to a riverside brewing event that launched in downtown Petaluma in September 2013 and celebrated its fifth annual gathering in 2017, per the Petaluma Argus-Courier. The city's identity as a Northern California craft brewing hub dates back even further, to 1994, when Lagunitas Brewing Company relocated its operations to Petaluma and grew into a top national craft brewery before Heineken acquired it in 2017.
The festival's growth also reflects the state of California's beer industry more broadly. The state leads the nation in craft brewing, with 961 craft breweries generating $8.26 billion in economic impact and producing more than 3.7 million barrels of beer in 2024, according to the California Craft Brewers Association. At the same time, craft brewers statewide have faced more closures than openings in recent years, prompting many to lean into food offerings and experience-driven hospitality like festival appearances to keep customers engaged, as reported by KQED.
The Rotary clubs organizing this year's event are part of a broader regional network. Rotary International District 5130 oversees chapters across Northern California, connecting North Bay clubs like Petaluma Valley and Petaluma Sunrise to regional grant programs, local youth exchanges, and disaster relief projects. Petaluma Sunrise Rotary's philanthropic arm, the Four Way Foundation, was established in 2010 and operates as an independent public benefit entity managing grant funds for community, youth, and environmental service projects in the area.
