RETURNING Saturday 28 June 2025!
Born out of the depths of a brisk Ballarat winter, Obsidian will serve as a gathering place for both established and emerging breweries. We believe in promoting the exploration and appreciation of rich and complex dark beer styles.
Obsidian Dark Beer Festival will celebrate the rich tapestry of dark beer styles, weaving together the warmth of community, the depth of flavour, and the spirit of discovery. We aspire to create an unforgettable experience in the heart of Ballarat, where enthusiasts and novices alike come together to explore the dark side of craft brewing.
Beware the power of the darkside!
Saturday 28 June 2025
Ballarat Mining Exchange
15 Breweries
30+ dark brews
Ticket INCLUDES all beer samples
Sessions
Day: 11am-3pm
Evening: 4pm-8pm
Limited tickets for each session
More details will be revealed as we approach the date!
Coming soon
Shedshaker (Castlemaine, VIC)
Aunty Jacks (Ballarat, VIC)
Noodledoof (Koroit, VIC)
Hepburn Springs Brewing (Hepburn Springs, VIC)
Cubby Haus (Ballarat, VIC)
Bells Beach (Torquay, VIC)
Holgate (Woodend, VIC)
Bridge Road (Beechworth/Brunswick, VIC)
Prancing Pony (Totness, SA)
Hop Nation (Footscray, VIC)
Dollar Bill (Ballarat, VIC)
Hawkers (Reservoir, VIC)
Red Duck (Ballarat, VIC)
Good Knight (Ballarat) & 3 Griffins (Mornington Peninsula, VIC)
Garage Project (Wellington, NZ)
Kilderkin Distillery
Itinerant Spirits
VLINE TRAIN
Southern Cross to Ballarat (approx 90 minutes)
Trains departing hourly out of Southern Cross
A short 5 minute walk from Ballarat Station to the venue (Mining Exchange)
VLINE BUSSES
Services run from various locations across Western Victoria
Travel times will vary depending on your departure location
Once at the Ballarat Station, it is a short 5 minute walk to the Mining Exchange
Ballarat and its surrounds have an amazing range of accommodation options to suit most needs and budgets.
Check out the Places to Stay link below to see all that the region has to offer. Why not make your trip even more Brilliant!
Please reach us at obsidiandarkbeerfest@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
The festival will be taking place at the historic Ballarat Mining Exchange, 12 Lydiard St North Ballarat.
The festival will be completely indoors, with heated concrete floors to provide any extra warmth that you need in addition to the delicious beers on offer.
Local to Ballarat
- best to utilise public transport, taxis or ubers to and from the venue
Melbourne based
- utilise the cheaper daily fares and journey to Ballarat on a VLINE service. The timing of sessions should enable you to easily get to and from the festival in a timely manner (but you can always hang around and sample some of the great local bars and eateries)
- the venue is around a 5 minute walk from the Ballarat Train Station
Surrounding areas
- most areas will have some form of public transport service to Ballarat but if not, why not make a night of it and stay in town at one of the great accommodation providers!
Coming soon...
Tickets will be available for sale up until the commencement of each session (subject to availability). If capacity allows, ticket sales will be available during each session.
Social media pages will be updated to reflect a session being sold out.
You will be provided a wristband on entry which will enable you to leave the venue and return. This may be required if you wish to head outside for a cigarette, as the venue itself is non-smoking.
Coming soon
Coming soon