I’m not a huge drinker, but I do enjoy a good cider (and cocktail) once in a while. I appreciate it when breweries have at least one cider option as I can’t jump on the beer train like everyone else. I was excited to see a whole festival with over 150 ciders to try! I got my VIP ticket through the hype app (an app where you can go to events for free if you review).
VIP vs general admission tickets
- VIP: includes a souvenir tasting glass, 18 tasting tickets and early entry to the event (12:00pm).
- GA: includes a souvenir tasting glass, 15 tasting tickets.
General Information
- Festival hours: 12:00-5:00pm (VIP); 1:00-5:00pm (GA)
- Location: Civil War Parade Ground, Main Post, The Presidio
- Parking: There is a parking lot, but ride share or public transportation is recommended. Especially since you’ll probably be drinking.
- Where to buy tickets: on their website.
- Each tasting is about 2 ounces
- There are about 3 food vendors on-site as well
- It’s dog friendly as long as your dog well behaved and on a leash
- Beneficiaries: Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research and Berkeley Humane.
The Festival
I woke up and was excited that San Francisco had finally stopped raining for a weekend and actually gave us enough sunshine to not have to wear a heavy jacket. Upon arrival, we were greeted with the cutest tasting cup, our tasting tickets and a newspaper outlining which and where all the tastings were located. We started strong and just kept trying one after another as there were no lines yet.
After about 5 tasting, I started getting hungry so we took a break to get pizza and ribs. There were 3 food vendors and the only one we didn’t try was the crepe. There was also a free cheese table and that might have actually be my favorite.
Ribs from Slow Hand BBQ 
Half margarita, half meat pizza from Copper Top Pizza
After lunch, we were back at it again and general admission had been let in already. The lines were a little longer, but the wait wasn’t bad as it’s pretty fast to pour a drink.
We tried so many unique ciders like salted cucumber, tom yum (which totally reminds me of Thailand), cactus rosé, honey sage, ginger peppercorn, and jalapeno pear. Some vendors even let you do a flight – smaller portions, but a sample of all their ciders for just one ticket.
When they announced last call at 4:30pm, I couldn’t believe we had been there for over 4 hours already! I thought I would only last about 2 hours. Time flies when you’re drinking cider and having fun!
Overall, it was great event. It was well organized, not too crowded and the lines weren’t too bad. I left very satisfied and couldn’t wait to go home and purchase all my favorites.
