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Each year, food fanatics and more look forward to the recurring site of the Beer Cheese Festival in Winchester. 

On Saturday, June 14, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., the city hosts its annual festival, marking a one-of-a-kind event. 

“The festival started back in 2009 with a group of people that were interested in doing a festival that could help raise money to support initiatives for revitalizing downtown Winchester,” said Whitney Leggett, Strategic Communications and Downtown Development Director for the City of Winchester. “The festival continues to do that…[it] is a fundraiser for downtown Winchester, so all of the profits from the festival are used to reinvest into downtown Winchester.” 

As a result, the Beer Cheese Festival has led to beautifications, grant development, and more. 

However, it’s with taste in mind that many attend. 

Beer cheese vendors include Kentucky Beer Cheese, Bootlegger Beer Cheese, 2 Rivers Beercheese, Big Poppies, Double D’s Beer Cheese, Yeti Cheese, and many more. 

“Visitors to the festival can purchase tasting tickets. Tickets are [purchased] through the Beer Cheese Festival app” said Leggett, noting that downloading was available on both Android and Apple devices. “Tickets are $12 for 15 tastings. We did that to allow you to taste at each of the professionals [vendors], and then if you want to taste another again…you can do that as well.” 

The downloadable app can be accessed through the main website at https://beercheesefestival.com or https://beercheesefestival.app. 

Both an amateur and professional contest will take place, with others voting in the process. 

Several vendors, not selling beer cheese but rather other food items, clothing, crafts, and more, will also be present. 

The yearly Beer Cheese Festival Committee has met regularly to help make the event possible. 

“It’s a pretty small committee, but everyone’s pretty much focused on something different. There [are] a lot of aspects that go into planning something like this,” Leggett said. “Other committee members help with marketing, passing out flyers and posters, and just giving input [on] how things can go at the festival.” 

Leggett estimated that more than 160 booths will be present, including a few from Mirror Twin Brewing – which serves as this year’s title sponsor. 

With each year, hopes are high that something new will occur at the festival. 

This year, on the Saturday before the Beer Cheese Festival, the inaugural Miss Beer Cheese Festival will occur. 

It officially takes place on Saturday, June 7, at 9:00 a.m. at Gallery 66, located at 66 S. Main Street. 

More information – including how to sign up – can be found at https://beercheesefestival.com/?page_id=8945. 

On the morning of the festival, the Beer Cheese 5K will occur at 8:30 a.m. at Heritage Park, located at 131 W. Washington Street. 

More information – including how to order t-shirts – can be found at https://runsignup.com/Race/KY/winchester/BeerCheese5K. 

Certainly, not least, there have been questions about the route for the Beer Cheese Festival due to the ongoing Main Street High Side project. 

Leggett clarified. 

“It’s not vastly different from what’s happened in the past. We’ll still start on either side of Main Street, north or south…and you’ll travel all the way down to either Lexington Avenue or Broadway Street. You’ll go down either [of] those streets and then connect behind the Courthouse,” she said. “With that section of Main Street that is currently under construction, the road itself will be closed. We won’t be [placing] vendors or anything on that section, but I do want to make sure everybody knows that the downtown businesses in that section of construction will still be open during that construction. We still encourage people to walk and visit those businesses…while they’re [at] the festival.” 

Visitors, as always, are predicted to flock to the area. 

“Visitors have been estimated anywhere from ten to twenty thousand depending on the year, which is huge to have that many people in our community,” Leggett said. “Just the thought of that many people being in downtown Winchester [makes] it obvious that it creates an economic boom.”