Downtown Willow Glen Beer Walk 2026: What to Know Before You Go

If you have never done a beer walk before, here is the short version. You show up at Lincoln Avenue in Downtown Willow Glen, pick up a souvenir glass and a printed map, then spend three hours strolling between tasting sites sampling craft beers from local and national breweries. No separate bar tabs at each stop. One afternoon, one street, and more beer than most first-timers expect.

The Downtown Willow Glen Beer Walk runs once a year in June, organised by the Willow Glen Business Association. The 2026 edition is on Saturday, June 20th from 2pm to 5pm. It is the same organisation behind the Spring Wine Walk and the Holiday Bubbly Walk, and the Beer Walk draws craft beer fans from across the Bay Area to one of San Jose’s most walkable and independently owned streets.

Here is everything confirmed and verified before you go.

What Actually Happens at the Beer Walk

The Beer Walk is a self-guided, ticketed tasting event spread along Lincoln Avenue. Participating businesses along the avenue each host a brewery for the afternoon. You walk between stops at your own pace, sample what each brewery is pouring, and naturally pass through Downtown Willow Glen’s 250-plus independent businesses as you go.

It is not a pub crawl with a set group pace. You move freely using the map you receive at check-in, deciding your own order and how long to spend at each stop. Tasting sites are set up inside and just outside participating Downtown Willow Glen businesses including shops, restaurants, galleries, and service providers, which means the event doubles as a neighbourhood discovery for anyone visiting for the first time.

The event runs rain or shine without exception.

Date, Time and Location

Date: Saturday, June 20, 2026 Time: 2pm to 5pm Where: All along Lincoln Avenue, Downtown Willow Glen, San Jose, CA 95125 Check-in opens: 12pm Check-in closes: 3pm sharp

Check-in takes place at the Bank of America parking lot at 1245 Lincoln Avenue. This is where you collect your wristband, souvenir beer glass, and tasting map. Check-in closes at 3pm with no exceptions.

The two-hour gap between check-in opening at 12pm and the event starting at 2pm is intentional. It gives attendees time to have lunch at one of the restaurants on Lincoln Avenue before tasting begins. Most tasting sites are small businesses and are not equipped to serve food, so eating before the event matters.

What Is Included

Your ticket covers a souvenir beer glass, a wristband for entry to all tasting sites, and a printed map to every stop on the route. The glass is yours to keep.

Tasting sites do not serve full pours. These are samples, structured so you can visit multiple breweries across the three-hour window without the afternoon ending early.

Which Breweries Participate

The lineup changes each year and is confirmed closer to the event date by the Willow Glen Business Association. The 2025 Beer Walk featured breweries including Fox Tail Fermentation Project, Discretion Brewery, Karl Strauss Brewing Company, Hapa’s Brewing, Lagunitas Brewing Co., Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Allagash Brewery, Strike Brewery, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Clandestine Brewing, Fieldworks Brewing Co., Altamont Beer Works, New Glory Brewing, Morgan Territory Brewing, Belching Beaver Brewery, Chapter 11 Cellars, Settle Down Beer, and The Long Drink.

Fox Tail Fermentation Project is a Downtown Willow Glen local, operating out of Lincoln Avenue year-round. For first-time visitors, it is one of the few tasting sites you can return to on a regular Saturday long after the event.

The 2026 brewery lineup will be announced by the Willow Glen Business Association  before June 20th.

The Rules You Need to Know

These come directly from the event organisers and are enforced on the day.

You cannot carry beer between tasting sites. California ABC regulations require you to finish or discard your pour before leaving each stop. You cannot walk along Lincoln Avenue with an open drink in your hand between sites. This is one of the most common surprises for first-timers and it is strictly followed.

ID is checked for every single attendee without exception. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID regardless of your age.

Tasting site bathrooms are not available to Beer Walk attendees. Most participating businesses are small and cannot accommodate event-level foot traffic through their facilities. Port-a-lets are placed at the back of the Bank of America parking lot at 1245 Lincoln Avenue specifically for Beer Walk attendees.

The event runs rain or shine and no refunds are issued for weather. Refunds are only available if requested at least 72 hours before the event date. Missing the check-in window also results in no refund.

Designated drivers do not need a ticket. Anyone accompanying a ticket holder who will not be tasting does not require a ticket for entry.

Babies and strollers are permitted but space inside many of the smaller tasting sites is limited.

Getting There and Parking

The Bank of America lot at 1245 Lincoln Avenue is the check-in point and the most practical place to start. The usual two-hour parking restrictions in that lot are lifted for Beer Walk day.

The Willow Glen Business Association recommends taking a rideshare to the event rather than driving. Both Uber and Lyft operate in the area.

If you do drive, free public parking is available in other lots along side streets off Lincoln Avenue. Do not park behind CVS or behind Orange Theory Fitness. Towing is actively enforced in those lots during the event and the organisers flag this specifically.

How the Beer Walk Fits Into the Downtown Willow Glen Events Calendar

The Beer Walk is one of three walk events the Willow Glen Business Association runs across the year, all following the same format with different drinks and a different time of year.

The Spring Wine Walk takes place in April and focuses on wine from Bay Area and California producers. The 2026 Spring Wine Walk was held on April 18th from 2pm to 5pm.

The Holiday Bubbly Walk happens in December and features sparkling wine tastings timed to the start of the Willow Glen holiday season, when Lincoln Avenue is decorated for Christmas and foot traffic on the avenue is at its highest.

All three events check in at the same Bank of America lot on Lincoln Avenue and follow the same structure of wristband, glass, and map.

What Most First-Timers Do Not Expect

The tasting sites are real Downtown Willow Glen businesses, not temporary stands or tents. A brewery might be set up inside a bookstore, a clothing boutique, a salon, or a restaurant. The map tells you where each brewery is but not what kind of business is hosting it.

This is deliberate. The Beer Walk is designed to move people through the full length of Downtown Willow Glen and give them a reason to step into places they would not otherwise visit. Some attendees discover a shop or gallery during the event and return the following weekend as a regular customer.

It is what makes the Downtown Willow Glen Beer Walk different from a standard tasting event held in a single venue. The neighbourhood itself is the venue.

For more on Downtown Willow Glen businesses, restaurants, and events throughout the year, visit downtownwillowglen.org.

Beer Walk vs Wine Walk vs Bubbly Walk