Clinking our plastic Bierfest beer mugs, my friend and I take our first sip of refreshing, cold beer as the Santiago sun beats down on our shoulders.
This summer Saturday is swelteringly hot, but we’re being brave for the sake of enjoying this iconic beer festival taking place in one of the biggest parks in the city. With a full afternoon ahead of us and an exciting musical lineup, we venture out into the crowd to find our friends and start the festival off right.
Parque Padre Hurtado: The Perfect Festival Setting
Tall, thin palm trees line the entrance of the sprawling Parque Padre Hurtado, then open to reveal a huge grassy field with beer vendors and food trucks and throngs of festival-goers. I’ve been to this city park a couple of times before: the first time for a “fonda,” an outdoor fest to celebrate Chilean Independence Day on the 18th of September. The second time was for a calmer occasion, a birthday picnic for a friend by the lake within this park.
Today’s event is an entirely different vibe. Crowds of people flock to whatever shade is available on the festival grounds, and walking through the field, we see a giant stage with a live band playing. This park is really the ideal location for a fun-filled beer festival, sitting on the border between Las Condes and La Reina, two comunas in the metropolitan region of Santiago.
The annual Bierfest is packed with local and national beer brands offering samples and full pours of beers of all varieties. Though there are thousands of people here, it doesn’t feel too claustrophobic thanks to the sheer size of the park. In the background are the Andean foothills and mountains farther in the distance, making the scene nothing short of incredible.
Finding Shade & Eating Empanadas
After encountering our other friends, we enjoy the live music for a bit while sipping our craft beers. I order a smooth IPA from a local brewery, and my friend goes for a light lager. We decide it’s time for a snack, and venture out to the food truck section on the far side of the field. We have a taste for papas fritas, but so does everyone else, judging by the long line. So, we opt for empanadas at another food truck. I go for my favorite, which also happens to be a Chilean classic: an empanada de pino.
We escape the torturous sun by finding a shady spot nearby, and munch on our empanadas as the sounds of the crowd and the live band fill the air. Forgetting that these empanadas de pino have a whole olive inside, I accidentally bite down on the pit—a rookie move when it comes to Chilean cuisine. My friend hears a new band start playing, and she insists we have to get closer to the stage to enjoy this one, so we polish off our snacks and head back toward the main stage.
The Lineup: Nostalgic Chilean Hits
Rejoining our friend group, I feel like such a foreigner as they sing along flawlessly and passionately to the lyrics of this apparently classic song. They explain to me that this band, Gufi, is like Blink-182: popular in the early 2000s, now bringing back memories from their younger years growing up in Santiago. The pop-punk vibes of the song bring a newfound energy to the entire crowd, and I’m quite impressed at just how enthusiastic everyone is about this song.
Next in the lineup, Glup comes onstage, offering lighter pop songs that I find catchy. I even recognize a couple of their songs; I’m assuming from radio stations that I hear in the malls, or Uber rides around Santiago. As the next band, De Saloon, starts playing, the heat of the day finally wanes as the sun angles down over the horizon.
Beer & More Beer
And what of all the beer at this beer festival? Over the course of the afternoon and evening, we try several varieties, including IPAs, lagers, stouts, fruity beers, ambers, and more. Some beer vendors are clearly more popular than others, judging by line length. I find that the fruit-flavored beers are never my favorite, even including maracuya (passionfruit) and arandano (blueberry), though I love those flavors in other drinks.
Because of the hot day, some of the beer samples are warm, thanks to the sun hitting the tops of the draft beer taps. I get the feeling that I’m missing out on the crispness of an ice-cold beer during many of the sampling sessions, but even so, it’s an enjoyable experience. We explore artisanal brands and up-and-coming microbreweries, savoring every flavor. I decided my favorite is a hazy IPA with a bold hop flavor and smooth fruity notes from a local brewery.
Closing TIme
I feel the sweat on my back start to dry out after the sun finally dips below the mountainous horizon, and the vibe shifts yet again as a new band takes the stage. Melodious tunes drift over the wide expanse of the festival, and people begin flocking toward the exits. It’s only 9:00 pm, but the day has felt quite long, and we begin to pack up from our makeshift picnic on the grass. And as we head out, I realize that Bierfest has once again reminded me of just how entertaining summers in Santiago are, especially with good friends, live music, and a tasty beer in hand.
