Tap that Topeka BeerFest to Return Under New OwnershiP, Breathing New Life into the Downtown Event
The Greater Topeka Partnership and Downtown Topeka Inc. are excited to announce the capital city’s top annual beer festival, Tap That Topeka, will live on under new ownership!
Capitol Cocktails LLC, the same group behind downtown favorite The Celtic Fox, has taken over ownership and management of the beer-fest and expects to introduce a revamped event to the community and beer lovers around the region in 2024. Capitol Cocktails is looking to move the annual event to early fall and hopes to tie it to The Celtic Fox’s “Halfway to St. Paddy’s Day Party,” encouraging festival goers to keep the good times rolling in downtown Topeka after Tap That concludes.
John Federico, managing partner at The Celtic Fox and majority owner of Capitol Cocktails, shared that the group “felt it was extremely important to keep Tap That alive, as one of the premier events drawing new faces to downtown Topeka.”
“Each of us behind Capitol Cocktails and the Celtic Fox is heavily engaged in the community and involved in the downtown restaurant-and-entertainment scene — so when we heard Tap That needed new organizers, it seemed like a no-brainer for us to get involved,” he said. In addition to Federico, the Capitol Cocktails partnership includes Greg Schwerdt, Brooks Pettit and Jeremiah Nelson.
“Since it started, Tap That has been a great way to drive traffic to downtown businesses,” said Katie Turner, Celtic Fox general manager. “I’m excited to see that continue, and I look forward to helping the festival’s new owners grow the event, so that it continues to offer more to locals and visitors year after year. The Celtic Fox team has lots of experience organizing street concerts and events downtown, including The Celtic Fox’s summer concert series. That experience made this group a great fit to carry Tap That forward.”
“With our plan to tie Tap That to the Halfway to St. Paddy’s Day Party, I think we’ll be able to get more people downtown for the beer fest, especially the young professionals crowd that’s always looking for new, fun and exciting things to enjoy here,” said Hayden Federico, Celtic Fox assistant manager.
“This is fantastic news for downtown Topeka and all the shops and restaurants that call the area ‘home,’” said Ashley Gilfillan, president of Downtown Topeka Inc. “I’m excited to see how the Celtic Fox team is able to grow Tap That, making it bigger and better than ever.”
“It was tough saying ‘goodbye’ to Tap That — so I’m glad we don’t have to!” said Stephanie Norwood, former events director for The Partnership. “John and the Celtic Fox crew were among those interested in taking over the event, and we made sure to do our due diligence when it came to choosing the right person to lead it into the future. I can’t wait to see how they take Tap That to the next level!”
