Bacon Blues & Brews Fest
If hearing the word bacon makes your ears perk up, plan to attend Queen Creek, Arizona's Bacon, Blues, and Brews festival.
Event information
Things are about to get hog wild at the Bacon, Blues, and Brews festival in Queen Creek, Arizona. If hearing the word bacon makes your ears perk up, then you are going to want to hear all about the bacon at this event. Bacon here becomes the pork equivalent to craft-beer.
Bacon isn’t just a side-item at the Bacon, Blues, and Brews festival. Rather, it is the main course served with sides of blues music and specialty brews. Don’t let the name fool you; there is more to this event than pork and beer. This family-friendly event is a day filled with food, music, and fun that the whole family will enjoy—even the littlest piggies.
Bacon, Blues, and Brews festival takes place in the greater metropolitan Phoenix area’s east valley in the town of Queen Creek. Queen Creek offers its residents and guests a small-town feel all within a short distance to some of the valley’s best shopping, hiking, and recreational hot spots. RVers and outdoor enthusiasts will find Queen Creek the perfect distance from Phoenix. It’s far enough from the city and closer to some of the valley’s best regional and state parks.
If bacon, beer, and music paired with RVing or camping sound like the best way to spend a weekend, then plan your trip to Queen Creek, Arizona during one of the prettiest months of the year, and attend the Bacon, Blues, and Brews festival.
Tickets
Are you a food-lover who’s not afraid to try unique flavor pairings? Have you ever wanted to try a flight of bacon paired with a specialty beverage? If you answered yes to either of those questions, then the Bacon, Blues, and Brews VIP ticket might be for you. VIP tickets offer everything the general admission tickets provide with more bacon, more beverages, a special restroom area with shade, and much more. If you prefer to wander and do your own thing, then choose the general admission ticket. General admission tickets allow attendees to sample bacon from the vendors, listen to music, and purchase brews.
For families who want more fun, don’t worry! The add-on tickets, like the kid’s play area and the family fun game area, should be the perfect addition to your general admission tickets. Kids under 12 usually receive free general admission tickets, so all you have to pay for is the add-on fun. In past years, event tickets have cost between $10 and $90. Tickets are generally cheaper if purchased online in advance. If you choose to purchase tickets at the door, be sure to have cash.
Explore Bacon Blues & Brews Fest RV Rentals
Transportation
Driving
The greater metropolitan Phoenix area is one of the best cities in the country for out of town visitors to navigate the freeways and side streets because of the city's layout. The city, built on a grid, has roads that run parallel to one another both in the north and south directions as well as the east and west directions. The grid layout makes it easier for drivers to avoid construction, accidents, and turn around quickly.
Queen Creek is located in the far East Valley. To get to the venue, drivers may take routes from US-60, Loop AZ-202, or I-10 depending on the direction they are heading. The interstates and highways in the Phoenix area are well-cared for and wide within the city limits. There are no low clearance bridges on the city's highways and interstate roads. During certain times of the day, the freeway's HOV lanes have restrictions permitting only vehicles transporting more than one person (carpool). The HOV lanes are marked well, so drivers can see how to use the lanes.
Parking areas
Patrons have a few parking options if driving to the event is your preferred mode of transportation. Two parking lots have free shuttles both to and from the festival. Parking maps are usually updated on the Bacon, Blues, and Brews website closer to the event with directions and locations for parking. Both public parking areas, as well as the ADA parking area, can’t accommodate oversized vehicles, so it’s best to park your rig and get a ride or take the shuttle to the festival.
Public Transportation
Avoid the traffic and take the event shuttle bus from select locations within Queen Creek to the event venue. Details will be posted on the website as the event nears. If you prefer your own ride, Queen Creek has a few rideshare services to pick from that run in the area. Bacon, Blues, and Brews often has a rideshare sponsor with discount codes. Check the website for the most up to date information on discounted rides.
Where to stay
Onsite
Bacon, Blues, and Brews does not offer onsite camping, but Phoenix and Queen Creek are home to many options for RVers.
Nearby
Queen Creek is one of the best locations to attend an event in the Phoenix area because the town is close to numerous camping areas. There are RV parks as well as regional and state parks with RV camping. If you prefer full-hookup RV camping, try one of the privately-owned campgrounds. If you prefer a more natural-desert camping atmosphere try staying at the regional of state parks nearby. The two closest parks offer camping with or without hookups.
The town of Queen Creek is also close to other RV camping areas, but some of the RV parks may have age-restricted camping for guests 55 and older. The Phoenix area is a popular location for winter residents, and many winter residents travel and stay in their RVs long-term. Consider booking your RV campsite as soon as possible, so you don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy one of the prettiest seasons in Arizona from an RV.
Getting around
The Bacon, Blues, and Brews festival isn’t the type of event where you will need any off-road toys or golf carts to get around because the event takes place in the center of a town, a fair distance from RV camping areas. For this event, it is best to leave the toys behind at your campsite. If you need some help carting your items, or you have little children, bring a small wagon or stroller with you.
What to pack
Clothing
November is a transitional season for Phoenix. While it isn’t uncommon for there to be more warm or hot days in November, the desert starts to cool off at night, providing a longer-lasting chill in the mornings. Pack long pants and short sleeve shirts with a light jacket in case it gets a little too cold for your liking. Queen Creek is always a few degrees colder than Phoenix, but not by much. If you tend to get warm quickly, pack layers, and even consider bringing sandals and shorts for the days that might feel hotter than you'd expect for November.
Gear
When you pack for your trip, you don’t want to forget the essentials to make your time at the Bacon, Blues, and Brews festival enjoyable. Guests are permitted to bring leashed dogs, so if you have a furry friend, don’t forget the leash. The event takes place in rain or shine, so bring a small umbrella. If you want to stay for the whole event, bring a blanket or chairs to help make your time relaxing near the music more comfortable.
Health & Safety
Prepare for your trip by packing all of the items you will need to have an enjoyable time. Even though the sun doesn’t feel as intense in November, it doesn’t mean that you can’t get a sunburn. Bring sunscreen with you because nothing ruins a vacation like a painful sunburn.
Where to eat
Cooking
The Bacon, Blues, and Brews festival is a celebration of food and drink. Although you will most likely eat at the event, it's still a good idea to have food and drink on hand for when you get back to the RV. Pick foods that are easy to prepare or premade food items. Be sure to know if your RV has pots, pans, and utensils because if you decide to cook or warm up food, you want the proper equipment. Also, if you are camping in a location without electrical hookups, ensure your propane is ready to use. Most RV stoves run on propane and not on electricity.
Restaurants
After a day of bacon, you might want to venture out and try something other than bacon-infused items. Queen Creek has many of the popular fast food and chain restaurants, many of which are in walking distance of the event venue. The neighboring suburbs of Mesa, Chandler, and Gilbert also have restaurants and coffee shops if Queen Creek doesn't have what you are craving. Tip: If you are looking for a place with a lot of food choices in one location, look for an outdoor shopping mall.
Vendors
If you are attending the Bacon, Blues, and Brews festival, it is probably because you like bacon and beer. If you aren't feeling like bacon or beer on the day of the event, don't worry. There will be vendors who offer a variety of food choices, including vegetarian options for people who don't like meat. Make sure to bring cash with you. Some vendors take credit cards, but you will need some money to get into the event, and some vendors only take cash.
Safety
Security
People attending the event will have to provide a ticket to enter the festival, and ticket holders who plan on attending the VIP or tasting portion will need to get a bracelet from event staff to eat or drink. If you plan on coming and going, reentry is permitted. As with most festivals and events, please leave prohibited items at home.
Weather
In November, Queen Creek's weather is nothing short of beautiful. Temperatures average between 75° and 49° and the average rainfall is only one day a month. November is the perfect time of year to spend outside in the desert southwest. Many of the bars, restaurants, and coffee shops offer outdoor seating, and during the fall, people wait in lines to snag outdoor seats because it's no longer too hot to eat outside.
Medical
If you have a medical emergency or need to visit a pharmacy during your visit to Queen Creek, you will not have to travel far to find a hospital, urgent care, or drug store. The closest hospital is less than a 15-minute drive away, and the nearest urgent care center to the event is less than a five-minute drive away. If you need to refill a prescription or buy over-the-counter remedies, multiple food and drug centers are located within five miles of the venue.
