Touch of Brews 2021: Where It All Started
The very first one: a single October Saturday, eleven to eight, six bands channeling the Grateful Dead era by era, twenty dollar tickets, six dollar pours, and kids under 10 in free. Presented by Terrapin Beer Company, year one of a promise that would last.
Day one in pictures
The Touch of Brews 2021 Photo Gallery
The October light, the first tie dye, and the lawn where the whole tradition began.
What made the first one, the first one
Highlights from Touch of Brews 2021
Six Bands, Era by Era
The founding idea: six acts, each channeling a different era of the Grateful Dead's repertoire, rolling across one Sevier Park Saturday from eleven in the morning to eight at night. A festival built around a songbook instead of a headliner.
Not a Tasting Festival, On Purpose
Twenty dollars in advance got you the whole day, and beers were six bucks apiece instead of an all you can sample sprint. The idea was a day out, not a checklist, and that philosophy still defines the festival five years later.
Family First from Day One
Kids under 10 were free at the very first edition, the Kids Zone was there from the start, and a portion of every ticket supported BeWell in School, bringing mindfulness tools to Nashville classrooms. Even the free tie dye masks of that careful first fall came in festival colors.
With gratitude
Thank You from the Very First One
To Terrapin Beer Company for betting on year one of a three year handshake, to BeWell in School, our first charity partner, and to the 12 South neighborhood that showed up to a brand new festival and made it feel like it had always been there.
The story continues
Where the Festival Went Next
This was chapter one. Follow the whole story: the 2022 recap, the 2023 recap, the 2024 rewind, and the 2025 recap, then join us for chapter six: September 26, 2026 at Two Rivers Mansion in Donelson.
From Sevier Park to Donelson
Find the 2026 Festival at Two Rivers Mansion
Get turn by turn directions · Full directions and parking guide