SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Rhythm and Brews Festival will be held in South Charleston on March 25 at the South Charleston Community Center.
The event was announced at the South Charleston City Council meeting Thursday, and will replace the Craft Brews, Blues and BBQ festival that was held in June on the lawn of the University of Charleston.
Alan Kuhlman, chairperson for the festival, said the event has a lot to offer both beer aficionados and blues fans.
“It is focusing on Appalachian craft beers, primarily West Virginia microbreweries,” Kuhlman said. “I think we’ve got three real vital bands.”
Two West Virginia bands, John Inghram’s Slugfest and William Matheny, and a North Carolina band, Porch 40, will perform at the festival.
The event sells tickets to raise money for Fund for the Arts, an organization that works to support 12 Charleston-area arts groups, including the Children’s Theatre of Charleston and the West Virginia Youth Symphony.
“All of it we raise goes to these arts groups,” Kuhlman said.
Kuhlman said the event was moved to South Charleston because of three factors: unpredictable weather, costs and competition with the Live on the Levee concerts.
“City of Charleston has put more money into their event, and we were kind of competing against them,” Kuhlman said. “That event was free, and ours was a paid event, even though we were raising money for the arts.”
Kuhlman said he expects at least 1,500 people to attend the festival.
A ticket for the Rhythm and Brews Festival cost $35.
For more information, visit the festival’s Facebook page.