Foam at the Dome to take place May 13 in Charleston

Foam at the Dome tickets are now on sale according to information released by festival sponsor Charleston Main Streets. The event takes place May 13 at Charleston’s Laidley Field. 

This will be the craft beer festival’s second year, following a break-out first-year effort. Read BrilliantStream’s review of last year’s event here.

General Admission tickets are $35 and a VIP ticket will set you back $60. Only 500 VIP tickets will be offered, and they are expected to sell out quickly. A $20 Designated Driver ticket is also being offered. All tickets must be purchased online.

Festival organizers have added 200 more General Admission tickets this year, bringing the total number of GA tickets available up to about 2,000. Last year, general admission tickets sold out the day before the festival.

Festival ticket link  

What’s included in ticket price

General admission includes 4:00–7:00 PM entry, 5-oz. beer samples in a commemorative mug, and free soft drinks. Additionally, VIP tickets include 3:00 PM early entry and access to a VIP tent with special beers.

Festival organizers expect over 50 breweries will be represented with at least 200 different beers. Food service will be provided by 10 local restaurant vendors. A contingent of 20 local artisan and small business vendor tents is also expected. The festival music stage will provide continuous live music by three bands.

The star is the beer

Foam at the Dome will highlight a bunch of new-to-WV-since-last-year breweries. They also hope to introduce two brand new West Virginia breweries to the Charleston market (assuming both get licensed prior to the festival date). Those two are Front Porch Brewing of Charles Town and Weathered Ground Brewery of Cool Ridge. Most of the breweries that were represented last year are expected back for the second year.

Some of the breweries that will be represented this year, but were not there last year, include:

• 10 Barrel Brewing (OR)
• All Tech Lexington Brewing (KY)
• Bad Shepherd Brewing (WV)
• Bell’s Brewery (MI)
• Berkeley Springs Brewing (WV)
• Brewstel (WV)
• Elysian (WA)
• Front Porch Brewing (WV)
• Founders (MI)
• Golden Road Brewing (CA)
• Pubstomper (WV)
• Thirsty Dog Brewing (OH)
• Weathered Ground Brewery (WV)

Exactly which beers and breweries will be limited to the VIP tent has not yet been announced. Expect additional breweries to be added to the festival list before May.

The organizers are refining the event layout a bit this year, especially to provide a more spacious food vendor area, and they are working to ensure plenty of beer-pourers throughout the day to help beer lines to move along quickly.

Volunteers needed

Volunteers are needed for a variety of tasks. If you would like to volunteer to work at the festival, contact the Charleston Main Streets office at 428-A Shrewsbury Street Charleston, WV 25301 or email adam@charlestonmainstreets.org.

Foam at the Dome MERCH

This year, the festival is offering some cool logo merchandise for sale through its website. Stainless steel pint glasses are $20 and vintage 32-oz. glass howler jugs (from Foam 2016) are $5.00.

Festival website link