The years I have left to live have been shortened. Don't worry, it was my fault, and I'm okay with it! Why? It's all about the bacon. It's hard to turn down the opportunity to consume nonstop bacon and bacon dishes for three hours and not think you'll live a little less (did I mention three hours of beer drinking too?). But hey, at The Bacon and Beer Classic, you gotta embrace the moment, one pig at a time. This event was back at the end of April and my second year attending. Citi Field houses all the bacon and beer goodness and spreads things out amongst the main field level as well as the highest concourse. By doing this, the crowd control worked pretty well, though nothing with oodles and oodles of people roaming around is ever perfect. Enough setup. Let's eat. And eat and eat and eat and get to a point where quite possibly, you don't actually want to consume any more bacon. I know, it sounds crazy, but there is such a thing as a "bacon wall." While on that edible adventure, the possibilities ranged from creative main dish concoctions, to a variety of bacon strip flavors, to sweet and salty dessert options. It's just everywhere and sponsored by a ton of NYC establishments (Bareburger, Blue Smoke, BarBacon, etc.). And just when you thought you couldn't eat anymore, you wash it all down with some quality brews. The BABC grabs plenty of local breweries from Long Island to the Burroughs and beyond. Sampling each beer in the most awesome tasting glass ever (the resemblance of a mini red solo cup, ceramic style, with the event logo on it) only adds to the fun. Despite all this pig and hops greatness, there are a few downers to the festivities. Lines can get lengthy which puts a damper on your ability to try everything, especially when some food and drink spots run out of samples way before the end of the night. It's best to go with the flow and get what you can from whatever's available. In the end, you'll still be full of pork. Overall, The Bacon and Beer Classic is a mouthwatering, thirst-quenching extravaganza that is worthy of the trek to Citi Field. If you're a vegetarian, this may not be the event for you. But if you're a fan of the pig and his drink of choice (beer, of course), then plan on coming next year. There's a good chance I'll be back, even if it does continue to lower my years. It's just hard to say no to that much bacon. You'll see... read more

Bacon And Beer Classic - Blue Smoke FTW. - Festivals Near Me - Corona, New York

Very well organized event!!! Paid for VIP for that early entry. Was able to get on to the field (not the grass!) and take pictures and see what it's like up close. Cons were that the people who set up blocked off one size of stairs going up and down which was beyond stupid because then each time you go up and down you run into people going the opposite direction. I didn't see the point of that at all. The food was amazing!! The gyro and the pizza were my favorite. Loved that it wasn't ridiculously crowded because it was in a huge stadium. There was no one wasted to the point of passing out. Mostly responsible fun people and great food and beer!!! We took lyft and used a code to pay only $50 from Bergen county. Super worth it and got there 20 min early. read more

See all

SO MUCH FUN - Go. I promise, you won't regret it. I went to the 1-4PM session and it was great. I tried a ton of great beers and foods. It was a beautiful, sunny day, too. If you get GA tickets, I would try to get there a little early. I was at least #1,000 in line and I got in the door by 1:15PM. Not bad. It moves fast, but if you can get there a little early, you'll get it at 1:00 PM! My favorite part was just meeting people and walking around. My favorite food sample was the bahn mi sandwich? The brisket taco was also good and so was the cart with the plain bacon chunks. For beer, I enjoyed the Sierra Nevada a lot as well as the chocolate egg cream stout. I look forward to coming back again. read more

Bacon And Beer Classic - Festivals Near Me - Corona, New York

If you want to come here next year, make sure you come an hour before your time. I came here Friday Night April 22nd. Entrance was at 8pm and I got there around 7:22 and the line was already around the stadium. They had different times, VIP early access 7PM, which included an hour of early access and access to exclusive bacon and beer tents inside the field here at CitiField which I believe it cost $175. Second option was the early access at 7:30PM, which only includes 30 minute early access and no access to the exclusive spots inside the field, this option cost $100. Then they had the general admission which you entered at 8pm. I had the G.A. tickets and with us getting there 38 minutes before they opened the gates the line was still literally around the stadium. 15 minutes before 8pm they came around offering early access for just $25 which was already a rip-off. The general admission cost $77, early access was $100 and you making me pay $25 on top of my $77 for me to enter 15 minutes before 8pm, get the effff out of here. We waited of course no reason to pay extra for less time. It was a mad house in there, it didn't matter what station you went to, if it was either a beer station or a bacon station the lines were insane. The minimum people I probably encounter in front of me were 25-30 people. The Bareburger line had probably 50 people in front of me and the ones with the hot dogs was twice as much. They had 2 locations for you to go to either the Main level or the 500 section which was 2 floors up. Even with 2 floors of space the vendors couldn't keep up with the amount of attendees. Some vendors ran out of food and they either left or restocked and when they had to restock they had to go back to their van and we had to wait 20+ minutes. They had games that you can play but of course I was too busy waiting on the lines to miss out on all the fun they had, I even lost out on watching the Bacon Eating Contest. I probably didn't get to enjoy half of the vendors that were there which to me I would rather spend my $77 in a restaurant because I barely had the time to get the full experience. I suggest that whomever organizes this event to please take to consideration of how many of us didn't get to enjoy it, either have more vendors for the attendees or limit the amount of people you sell these tickets too. Yes, CITIFIELD can fill a stadium with over 20,000 people that doesn't mean go crazy and give everyone access. You are ruining our experience with just wasting our time being on line. I've gone to Meatopia and Food & Wine Festival and I've never experience that in those events. This was my first and last time at the Bacon and Beer Classic. read more

See all

I celebrated my 40th Birthday at this event with a group of 10 people. As we entered Citi Field, we were given small ceramic cups to use as we tasted beers. The lines were not long and we were able to sample so many beers and delicious food. We loved that it was in a shaded venue which made it very comfortable. The selection was so extensive that we couldn't even visit all the vendors while we were there. I would highly recommend this event to others. read more

See all

A MUST MUST MUST !!! Purchased Sunday early admission tickets making my entry time 12p. I arrived at 12p but I suggest arriving a bit earlier than your entry time. The entry line was really long but moved very quickly. We were given a shot glass sized souvenir cup (that's what the beer vendors fill to provide your beer sample). The first hour was bliss. The beer and bacon lines moved very quickly. The samples were soooo delicious. Many businesses were local and I made sure to take menus and business cards in order to continue supporting. We tried every bacon vendor on the first level with ease. Once 1p rolled around it got very crowded Bc it was time for general admission. Thankfully we were moving onto the second level (the lines were not bad there either). We did not wait more than 10mins for a bacon sample. The beer lines move at rocket speed regardless of length. I look forward to Bacon and Beer 2018 !!! read more

Bacon And Beer Classic - The beer shot glass and bacon samples. Some samples are bigger than the ones pictured. - Festivals Near Me - Corona, New York

Clearly, I love bacon and beer. Who doesn't? Heathens, that's who! Getting in was easy. The line wasn't crazy and it moved quickly. They have you open your bag and look inside, scan you with a metal detector, and check your ID before coming inside. They don't let you bring in water even if it's sealed and you have a designated driver ticket, which would be fine if they made water readily available inside, which they don't. Besides keeping everyone dehydrated, it also means you can't rinse out that stout taste from your glass before pouring in an IPA. Speaking of the glasses, they're a massive 4 ounces! This was way more than a tasting of a beer, and because I wanted to try many things quickly, I ended up tossing a lot of what was poured to me. Damn shame. There wasn't as much food as you would think, and knowing what I know now I would have eaten before coming. The beer lines are much shorter then the food lines, and you only get a small sampling of whatever you're eating. There was chocolate bacon cotton candy, bacon vodka sauce pizza from Two Boots, bacon brownies, bacon mac n cheese (or so I heard), bacon sliders, pork sliders, some kind of pork bun thing, bacon maple cookies. As for the beer, I really enjoyed Abita's Strawberry, Left Hand Brewery's Stranger, Lagunita's A Little Sumpin Sumpin, Flying Dogs Sour Cherry, Ommegang Witte, Sovereign's Apples & Honey, and Two Roads Rye 95 (my favorite: Belgian, rye based, with a 9.4 ABV- this is an awesome beer) There were games, I remember a bouncy castle.There were also companies handing out merchandise and promotions. Uber was giving out bottle openers, sunglasses, and 25% off Uberpool rides; 94.3 The Shark had totes and fake tattoos; and I got a beer cozy from American Whiskey. The booths are set up around the stadium, in the areas where the concessions and bathrooms are. You drunkenly make your way around the circle. Bathrooms were everywhere and the lines for them were short. Music seemed to be mainly top 40. The vibe was really friendly, a party like atmosphere as opposed to a tasting. I met some new people, started a lot of conversations with strangers. Every time someone dropped their glass and it shattered (I saw it happen about 5 or 6 times, one girl actually spilled her beer all over my coat sleeve before dropping the glass to the ground), everyone in the vicinity would roar "Oooooohhhhh" and it seemed to spread through the stadium. While I had fun I preferred the NYC Craft Beer Festival. It's smaller which I like. The lines are shorter, there's access to water, more reasonably sized glasses, and while you have to pay for your food you at least get enough of it. read more

See all

Vendors ran out of food, got a parking ticket for parking where event staff told us to park. Very poor decision to change locations from Citi Field read more

Bacon, beer, and sitting in the dugout of Citi Field. Hard to beat that scenario right there. I've been to the BBC two years in a row now, and it's always one of my most looked forward to events of the year. There's so much food and beer, it's impossible to hit them all. You'll find some absolutely delicious morsels, and you're bound to find some odd creations that you won't be so thrilled about also. But by and large, there's no way you can rip around three levels of the stadium without finding several bites you'll love. Again, we're talking about the primordial elements of delicious excess here. Bacon. Beer. Done. read more

Couldn't pass up a good deal, and bought two GA passes for 20% off through Groupon. Well-organized craft beer festival, with the added bonus of delicious bacon-themed eats in between! Lines were a bit longer than I was used to, but definitely fewer annoying Long Island bro-types in attendance compared to other similar events I've been to. We definitely had a lot of fun! The boyfriend's favorite part of the experience was receiving whole stacks of jalapeño-infused bacon strips. ;) read more

Bacon And Beer Classic - Festivals Near Me - Corona, New York

Probably the best day of the year. I used to go every year for my birthday and was super depressed when it didn't happen at citified this year. Luckily I just got an email saying it's happening across the street instead. CANT WAIT read more

Bacon And Beer Classic - Festivals Near Me - Corona, New York

See all

This is a yearly event that I guess keeps getting bigger and bigger but I think the organizers prepare for 1000 people when really there are like 4000 in attendance! I have been to many food shows, more than I can count and I have never had to deal with the lines that every vendor had which was insane! We got there almost an hour before only to see the line wrap around the stadium but my compliments to whoever was in charge of security because we got in fairly quickly. What was most frustrating about the event was no matter vendor line you went to weather it was beer or bacon or a bag of chips there was a line 20-30 ppl deep! Couldn't blame the vendors they were pumping out their dish as quickly as possible just couldn't keep up with the demand. It was all so frustrating it took away from how good some of the food was and there. Will never go back to Bacon and Beer Classic read more

Working at Bacon & Beer Classics is a different experience than attending. Some notes: 1) Security is TIGHT. There will be metal scanners, etc. There will be scalpers buying/selling tickets. They will check your tickets before you can get to the line. There will be SEPARATE entrances for each kind of ticket (i.e. VIP, General Admission, Press, Staff) 2) The Crowd will get ROWDY. I didn't have to roam around to know that people would be loud and kind of crazy. Luckily, no fights broke out but people, mostly the drunk guys did try their best to instigate and/or provoke such behavior. Every time a souvenir ceramic Bacon & Beer Classic tasting glass was dropped/broken the crowd would go "OOOOOOOHOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhh" right in some embarrassed/drunk girl's or guy's face. REAL Classy. To top that off, they only give out 1 souvenir glass per person even if accidents like dropping glass happens because I think they reuse the same glass stock for the other 3 city locations for this beer fest. 3) Food SMELLED delicious. From what I saw from people bringing food up to my pouring station waiting on their beers, sausages, pizzas, and all other kinds of pork were to be had. Many raved about the food. I could only imagine. 4) The bathroom lines were ridiculous as usual. However, the men's were tolerable. The promenade area had 2 for each sex & gender. Overall, it's a fun experience and I had a blast even while working the beer taps. I mean I'm a beer guy after all. How could it NOT be fun? Well...if I had dropped the souvenir ceramic glass perhaps... FAN. read more

Exceeded my expectations -- One con; have a longer VIP or power hour option. That being said, having the field reserved for VIP only was a nice touch and a respite from the large crowds that were inevitable with this type of awesome event!! The quality of food and beer were pretty good and we will be back next year! read more

Went to this with a big group of friends and had the best time. There were so many different beer options, as well as some hard ciders, hard seltzers, hard iced teas, and more. Additionally, the food options were amazing, especially the bacon cooked Mac and cheese, the bacon tacos, and bacon cupcakes were OUT OF THIS WORLD. The event was pretty well organized, I wish they had heating lamps or something because it was freezing before you started drinking and I wish we had just a little more time. I felt like we didn't get to do everything because of the waiting on line and all the options. It was a little pricey but definitely worth it! Finally, the vast majority of the vendors were super friendly and as we initially waited on line to go in, they had people handing out pieces of bacon which was AMAZING! I'm definitely doing this again next year! read more

Not as fun as we expected unfortunately. Do yourself a favor and get the VIP tickets so that you can come in an hour before the GA crowd because it gets extremely crowded. Coming in as VIPs gave us enough time to walk around the perimiter trying everything almost twice with absolutely no lines. Once the rest of the people came in at 8pm the lines for every single thing were 15-25 people deep. It was hard to get around at that point. Lines did not move as quickly as the other reviewer mentioned. Also, go on Friday as opposed to Saturday - less people. read more

See all

$100 gets you in 30 mins early . It includes all you can eat bacon dishes and all you can drink craft beer . Can't go wrong. Honestly , whether you do the GA or VIP it's worth it. Can't wait for next year ! read more

See all

Cool event. I'm not a big beer fan but still enjoyed sampling the many options. There was definitely a variety in beer and bacon products. I needed more just straight bacon. I saw one person with a cup of bacon but we couldn't find that or the pretzels. Places started running out and closing down a smidge early. Otherwise, took me back to college party days just with a manageable crowd and bacon. Would do this again, although really needed to end with more bacon. read more

See all

My favorite beer fest around. I've been to other fests around (NYC, Long Island, DC) and the Bacon and Beer Classic is by far the best. I've been twice (and yes, of course I'll be there again this year) and it's AWESOME. You arrive and there are long lines of people, but they move pretty quickly - yes, security is tight, but that's a good thing, not something bad. You're then given your complementary tasting cup (VERY fragile and you'll likely hear plenty break throughout the day). Next, you take the escalator up and ALAS, you've arrived. All around the stadium there are tasting stations with some of the best (both big and small) names in beer around. There is too much beer and too much food it's so good. If you can find a way to taste all of it, you're magical and have cracked the code. The food is delicious. There are so many variations of foods incorporating bacon you can't NOT find several things you'll like (that is, unless you don't eat meat, then well....yeah..). Who knew bacon could go into so many desserts? My advice is to try as many types of beer as possible. You only have so much time and there will be lines. If you see an opening at a station, stop there instead of waiting for the long line to taste the recognizable brands everyone flocks to. It's a place to learn about new beers and explore! Take advantage of it and drink up! It's rare that you find someone who isn't having a good time. At first you might think it's a short time for the event, but afterwards you'll realize it's plenty - just long enough to get your drink on without seeing too many sloppy people falling all over. Geez, just writing about it makes me thirsty! Cheers! read more

The Bacon and Beer Classic is SO MUCH FUN! Unlike a lot of other local beer festivals, food is included in your ticket price (huge advantage). There's a humongous selection of beer and bacon-themed food so you will definitely have to rush, if you want to try it all. Pro tip: start at the opposite end (or second level) first and the lines are much much shorter. My only criticism is that they do not have free water, which I personally think is stupid for an event serving alcohol. HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE! Between the beer and the salty bacon dishes, your body will desperately need it after three hours. Also, get there early since the lines to get in are long and you'll want as much time inside as possible. Don't miss this event - it's seriously a blast! read more

An absolutely fantastic day with friends. The food was amazing, the beer was flowing very generously. There was so much to do other than just eat and drink as well, which I was very impressed with. The giant bouncy race was a ton of fun. As was the human sized Jenga. The layout was a little tough, because the stadium is not that wide so when lines got long it could get very cramped. I think next time I would start from the end, didn't seem many people did that. So I could try to maximize my time by it being less crowded in the beginning. I cannot wait to go back! read more

It was a great time but I paid for the vip tickets for the twin cities one and was supposed to get in an hour earlier than the normal tickets but they let everyone in at the same time. Then there was no one checking who was allowed in to the vip area do anyone could have gone in. read more