Whanganui craft beer scene going from strength to strength with inaugural beer festival

The wait is almost over for some of the region's craft beer creators to showcase their staple brews and give festival-goers a taste of their more experimental line of beers.

The sold-out River City Craft Beer Festival will have dozens of brews on offer for the 250 people who secured tickets for Saturday's event.

Event organiser Andy Henshaw, who founded Whanganui's Roots Brewing Co, said it's only in the last few years that the craft beer industry has come up and made its way into the regions.

"Even six years ago it was really hard to get a New Zealand craft beer on tap anywhere, but since then a couple of pubs have really jumped on board with it.

"There's more awareness about craft beers now, people are more willing to step out of their comfort zone and try something else rather than something they've been drinking for however many years."

Henshaw's own brews will be on offer at the festival, alongside creations from Whanganui-based Lads Brewing, Ruapehu Brewing from Ohakune, Forgotten 43 Brewing from Stratford, and Abandoned Apple Cider from Masterton.

About half of the festival's 250 tickets were sold within two weeks of being released, and all remaining tickets have since been snapped up.

Henshaw said he's "absolutely stoked" with the interest and will be looking to develop the festival into an annual event.

"I wouldn't mind going to an outdoor venue at some stage, perhaps expanding the numbers a little bit and making it a bit more family friendly.

"Where we are is not a great place for kids to be running around, but if we could have it outdoors in the summer and have bouncy castle there and a few other things to keep people entertained, that'd be fun."

The festival's diverse range of beer will be reflected in different genres of live music from The Conrays, Heavy Blarney and Nicole Son.

Local food cart operators will also be at the festival to keep attendees from going hungry.

Ruapehu Brewing founder Austin Hobson said the festival will help get Whanganui on the craft beer map.

"We're stoked to be part of it because we're a tiny little operation in Ohakune, and Ohakune is pretty much our only distribution network," Hobson said.

"To be able to bring product down and be able to get it into a wider audience is quite exciting.

"As a brewer, it's just about getting a beer into someone's hand and making them smile and enjoy what you've created and put hours and hours into."

The sold-out event takes place at the Whanganui Musicians Club on Saturday.