Brewgaloo draws normal crowds despite counterprogramming controversy
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Brewgaloo drew 50,000 people to Fayetteville Street this weekend.
- Executive director Jennifer Martin faced backlash for a December transphobic comment.
- Raleigh Brewing's Ya’ll Means All Festival drew about 1,000 people Saturday.
Brewgaloo remained a mainstay for Shop Local Raleigh this weekend despite counterprogramming against the craft beer festival that was spurred by a transphobic comment..
Every April, Shop Raleigh Local brings 80 craft breweries — the state’s largest such event — in downtown Raleigh for a two-day celebration.
There is dancing.
There is shopping.
There are food trucks.
And 50,000 people walked down Fayetteville Street this weekend to take in the sights, sounds and tastes of Brewgaloo.
“It went wonderful,” said Jennifer Martin, executive director of Shop Local Raleigh. “We had an excellent crowd all day. The music was lively. People were having a great time and we were pleased with the turnout.”
Whether Brewgaloo would meet its normal level of success could have been questioned before Saturday after Martin made a transphobic comment on social media in December.
She posted: “There’s no such thing as a transgender son. Blessing to you, but the sooner you help your son realize this, the more successful he (maybe a she) will be.”
There were immediate calls for Martin to resign from her position and several businesses announced they would no longer participate in Shop Local Raleigh events.
Martin issued an apology for her comments and the board’s president, Paul Laughter, issued an outline on corrective action the organization would take rather than oust Martin.
Raleigh Brewing Company announced it would counterprogram against Brewgaloo, holding the Ya’ll Means All Festival with 15 vendors on its back lot, that brought out about 1,000 people Saturday.
“Our whole mission is to support local business, and we want local businesses to be successful,” Martin said about the other festival. “We were fully sold out at our event and unfortunately, we were at max capacity for how many vendors we could accept. So any opportunity that helps other local businesses have an opportunity to earn income and earn additional revenue — we are very happy for them.”
Meanwhile, reunions popped up along Fayetteville Street where 200 vendors lined the roadway capped by stages at both ends.
Martin announced to The News & Observer that a couple who met at Brewgaloo a few years ago got married this weekend.
People come back to the beer festival for parties.
Past classmates hold college reunions there.
Others fly in to participate.
“I think it’s just a really great celebration,” Martin said.
The event was free and open to the public, unless a person was drinking, which required a ticket and a wristband.
Martin said for those with beer or gluten allergies, there were gluten-free options, cider and a distillery.
Those uninterested in alcohol could also eat the food, shop the vendors and listen to music.
“People were having a great time, and we were very pleased with the turnout,” Martin said. “The vendors were very happy. All the breweries were very happy. Everyone believes it’s a huge success.”
