Not ready for fall? Cider Swig will fix that with live music and stein-holding contests

Nothing says autumn like apples.

This Saturday, celebrate fall’s triumphant return at Cider Swig, an annual celebration of Pacific Northwest cidermakers with local food, live music and local arts and crafts vendors. All proceeds benefit educational and environmental programs through the Lu Winsor Grant Fund, an environmental program of the Greater Gig Harbor Foundation, which also organizes the event with help from dozens of volunteers.

Now in its ninth year, the festival returns to being in-person for the first time since 2019. Typically held at Sehmel Homestead Park, Cider Swig attracted more than 3,500 cider lovers three years ago.

Event chair Julie Ann Gustanski and coordinator Jennifer Day anticipate surpassing that figure this year, but to accommodate that crowd, they have moved it — gasp! — across the bridge to Haub Family Field at LeMay Car Museum.

“The festival simply outgrew it and unfortunately there is no site in our Gig Harbor/Key Peninsula community large enough to host an event of this size, while keeping surrounding streets and people safe,” they wrote in a press release.

This Saturday’s event is also 21-and-over only.

Considering attending? Here’s what to know about Cider Swig 2022 on Saturday, Sept. 24.

SO MUCH CIDER

Organizers describe the event as “a celebration of our state’s largest crop and the renaissance of cider.” Washington state grows 65 percent of the country’s apples (up to 12 billion, according to the state’s trade group). Though beer hogs most of our drinking attention, there are more than 45 cideries here, from Spokane to Orcas Island.

Pouring more than 130 varieties, the festival lineup features 30-plus regional makers, including:

▪ Bushel & Barrel, Poulsbo

▪ Channel Maker Cider, Seattle

▪ Cockrell Hard Cider, Puyallup

▪ Discovery Cider Co., Tacoma

▪ Dragon’s Head Cider, Vashon

▪ Finnriver Farm & Cidery, Chimacum

▪ Mill Haus Cider Co., Eatonville

▪ Misfit Island Cider Co., Whidbey Island

▪ Offset Ciderworks, Edmonds

▪ Pear Up Cider, East Wenatchee

▪ Renaissance Orchards, Ferndale

▪ Spin Cider, Olalla

Guests can also experience some out-of-state makers, including 19 Acres from Sherwood, Oregon, and Avid Cider from Bend.

Tacoma’s Black Fleet Brewing and Mastrogiannis Distillery & Winery will also be there for some non-cider choices, in addition to Seattle Mead Co. and Sky River Mead.

BOTTLE SHOP

Love what you try? Don’t forget to swing by the Pop-up Bottle Shop for packaged bottles and cans to take home.

LOTS OF FOOD

You can’t drink your way through a cider fest without some carbs. To keep you satiated, Cider Swig welcomes several food trucks and pop-up vendors.

▪ Boss Mama’s Kitchen - big burgers and hearty grilled cheese

▪ The Pie Bar - sweet and savory pies

▪ Gigo’s Jamaican Grill - spiced meats with rice, peas and plantains

▪ Fat Zach’s Pizza - wood-fired pies and wings

▪ Polish Cuisine on Wheels - pierogies and more

▪ Smokin Robinson’s BBQ - Southern classics and barbecue, including a brisket French dip

LIVE MUSIC

In addition to ample cider-swigging, the festival keeps it, well, festive with live music starting at noon and running through 6 p.m.

▪ Spare Thyme - “dueling fiddles” play an eclectic blues style with Cajun and Celtic flare

▪ The Apollo Trio - upbeat jazz versions of classic songs in many genres

▪ Birch Pereira & The Gin Joints - a combo of rock and roll/Americana with a bit of swing

▪ The Shy Boys - retro hits to modern tunes from blues to pop-country

GAMES & SUCH

When you’re tired of dancing, head over to one of the activity areas for cider-related fun, including:

▪ Hammerschlagen - in which you hammer a nail into a log

▪ Apfelweinkrug (stein-holding contest) - in which you hold a full mug of beer with a straight arm for as long as you can

▪ Keg Toss - in which you toss empty kegs as far as you can

▪ Battle of the Pies - in which you sample apple pie and determine the best

For the first three, contestsants must pre-register at gghf.info/contestregistration, though everyone is welcome to cheer them on.

There will also be cornhole boards set up and a place to vote for your favorite cider of the day.

TICKETS

Early bird and VIP tickets are sold out, but plenty of room remains for general admission, which includes access to the main cider garden, food vendors and all activity areas.

Order tickets online via Eventbrite before Sept. 24 to save a few bucks (though they incur about a $4 convenience fee), and consider adding parking for another $5 — it’s $7 plus a convenience fee if purchased separately or on-site.

▪ Late Online: $35, includes five drink tokens and 6-ounce souvenir tasting glass ($40 with parking)

▪ Day-of Event: $40, includes five drink tokens and tasting glass, but only 200 of these tickets will be up for grabs when Saturday rolls around ($45 with parking)

▪ Designated Driver: $10, which gets you a tasting glass and two non-alcoholic drink tickets (these ticket holders cannot purchase cider tokens)

Five samples might not suffice — purchase extra tokens on-site to sample more of the day’s libations.

Interested in volunteering? Volunteer tickets are also available for just $20, which includes the same five tasting tokens and glass, plus a $10 meal voucher and festival T-shirt). In exchange for the discount, you are assigned a time to help out in varying capacities.

You can also tack on a discounted pass to LeMay Car Museum ($13.50, compared to $18 standard admission price), which you can use during the festival or save for another day.

CIDER SWIG 2022

▪ Sept. 24, 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m., ciderswig.org

▪ LeMay Car Museum, 2702 E. D St., Tacoma

▪ Details: Cider festival with food, live music and games, benefiting Puget Sound conservation and education through the Greater Gig Harbor Foundation

▪ Tickets: $35-$40, available online or at the gate

This story was originally published September 22, 2022 at 5:00 AM.