Bloomington’s infamous Lotus World Music and Arts Festival starts tonight! This four-day festival for people of all ages, ethnicities, abilities, and backgrounds showcases over 25 different artists and groups from around the globe.

Lotus Fest is a weekend for people to explore world culture through music, art, food, dance and fun. And, importantly for us, beer. We are proud to be sponsoring the event, and we will have a booth on Friday, September 29 and Saturday, September 30 with lots of delicious beer on tap.

With so many talented artists in the crowd, the pressure was on to come up with the Official Beer of Lotus Fest. We created Blooming Lotus – a blended beer cocktail made with Razz Cherry Beret and Prim. Razz Cherry Beret’s sweet, succulent raspberry and cherry flavors blend perfectly with Prim to add a distinct, spicy accent of cardamom and a refreshing punch of acidity. This is truly a one-of-a-kind brew, so make sure to try a pint (or two) before the weekend ends. We will also have Razz Cherry Beret and Prim as standalone options, as well as Champagne Velvet, Breaking Away, and Juiced in Time at our booth on 6th Street (look for the big Upland tent!)

Parking and lodging information from Lotus:

Most downtown parking in Bloomington, Indiana is metered (although it’s still reasonable by big-city standards). Meters accept change or credit cards, or you can use the Parkmobile app to pay from your mobile device. There are also several large parking garages downtown — please visit the City’s website for locations and rates. Some areas near downtown are reserved for special, permitted use. Observe all signs for residential (“Residents Only”) or campus parking (Permit required) restrictions when you encounter them in parking lots and on some street blocks. Recommended 4th Street, Morton, and Walnut parking garages.

Parking is available at the Boys and Girls Club in the back of the building and in the back corner of the lot.

Bloomington boasts a wide array of lodging choices for every budget — start exploring now at the Visit Bloomington website. Many local hotels also offer special Lotus rates for Festival weekend, so be sure to mention “Lotus” when making your booking! For additional lodging information, please contact Visit Bloomington at 800-800-0037 or 812-334-8900.

Find out more about the Lotus Festival by visiting https://www.lotusfest.org/festival-main/.

Cheers and hope to see you there!