Outdoor Project's 2018 Block Party Festival Series Recap

Outdoor Project had a fantastic 2018 Block Party Festival Series, traveling across the country between May and October. The festivals kicked off in Austin, Texas on May 19, ending in Charleston, South Carolina on October 20. KEEN Footwear came on-board as the National Sponsor, while brands like Zeal Optics, Yakima and REBBL joined us for most of the tour, with 1% for the Planet as the national non-profit partner.

The mission of the event series is to bring together the local community; offer partner companies an opportunity to share their culture, brand, and commitment to the environment; build outdoor adventure stoke; have a ton of fun; and raise awareness and funds for local outdoor non-profits. The successful events in seven cities across the United States raised nearly $10,000 for the selected nonprofits.

The cities, dates, brewery location, and non-profit beneficiaries of each party on the 2018 festival tour were:

May 19, 2018 - Austin, Texas

• Location: Hops and Grain Brewing Company, benefiting Explore Austin
• Recap!

Our first year in Austin, Texas, we welcomed 15 vendors to the event and raised almost $1,000 for Explore Austin.

June 23, 2018 - Portland, Oregon

• Location: Ecliptic Brewing Company, benefiting 1% for the Planet
• Recap!

Our fifth anniversary Summer Solstice event welcomed 3,000 people (and dogs!), 33 vendors, and raised over $2,000 for 1% for the Planet, our Portland nonprofit beneficiary and our series nonprofit partner for the year.

June 30, 2018 - Seattle, Washington

• Location: Optimism Brewing Company, benefiting Wild Salmon Center
• Recap!

The Seattle rain couldn’t keep crowds away, as almost 2,000 people joined us to raise almost $2,000 for the Wild Salmon Center.

July 14, 2018 - Denver, Colorado

• Location: Denver Beer Company, benefiting Environmental Learning for Kids
• Recap!

Over 4,000 people joined us for our 4th year in Denver, rocking out to bands and enjoying the rock climbing wall, while raising over $2,000 for Environmental Learning for Kids.

August 4, 2018 - Salt Lake City, Utah

• Location: Uinta Brewing Company, benefiting Save Our Canyons
• Recap!

Our second year in Salt Lake City, but our first 21+ only event, still brought out almost 1,500 people with some adorable dogs, and helped us raise over $1,000 for Save Our Canyons.

September 15, 2018 - Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Location: Bauhaus Brew Labs, benefiting Big City Mountaineers
• Recap!

Despite the 90 degree day, over 2,000 people came through our first event in Minneapolis, raising over $1,500 for Big City Mountaineers.

October 20, 2018 - Charleston, South Carolina

• Location: Tradesman Brewing Co., benefiting Lowcountry Land Trust
• Recap!

Though it was our first year in Charleston, our final festival destination this year was hopping with Southern music, seafood, and hospitality despite the rain, as 500 people raised over $1,200 for Lowcountry Land Trust.

Outdoor Project partnered with these amazing breweries in its fifth year of summer festivals. Each event was an all-day block party featuring delicious beers, great music, local food carts, games and activities, and sponsorship from a mix of brands, businesses and non-profits that are the fuel for amazing outdoor adventures.

All events were free to the public, family friendly (Salt Lake City was the only event 21+), and dog friendly!

Better Takes Action

Along with supporting local nonprofits, we partnered with KEEN to share their Better Takes Action campaign and empower fans through KEEN's mobile action center. KEEN's on-site activation will be promoting voter registration, educating participants about causes related to the environment and our public lands, and encouraging them to take action by calling their local elected officials and expressing their opinions.  

We look forward to celebrating adventure and community with all of you next year during our 2019 Block Party Festivals.

If you are interested in sponsoring the event series, please reach out to our Events + Community Manager, Broche Fabian, at [email protected].