Overview Cider Summit Seattle is the Pacific Northwest's largest cider tasting festival, held each September on the Lawn at Discovery Center in South Lake Union, where the festival started. More than 40 cider, mead, fruit spirit and cocktail producers from the Northwest and beyond pour well over 100 selections across two days, and many of the cidermakers are behind the table themselves. On site Guests get a souvenir tasting glass and a set of tasting tokens and work their way through producer tents on the lawn. The Heritage Cider Pavilion showcases small farm-based cideries, a cocktail and spirits section and a mead area round out the pours, and a fruit cider challenge lets guests vote by QR code for a winner. Food vendors, craft booths, an event store with bottles and cans to go, and a Dog Lounge run by Seattle Humane fill out the grounds. Sponsors can sample on site, put their name on the signage and event guide, and reach every online ticket buyer through the post-event rewards email. Audience Adults 21 and over from Seattle and the wider Puget Sound area: craft cider and beer drinkers, food lovers, and the region's cider trade. Many are repeat guests who come back for new producers every year, and the Friday evening session draws the after-work South Lake Union crowd. Leashed dogs are welcome, which brings out a lot of Seattle dog owners. Talent and Influencers The producers are the draw, from established Northwest names to small orchard cideries. Guided sessions add expert voices: a separately ticketed pre-opening pairing tasting is led by cidermakers and educators from the American Cider Association, and industry hosts run Instagram Live segments from the lawn during the festival. Track record Cider Summit began in Seattle and has grown into the region's signature cider event, with sister festivals in Portland and Chicago. Thousands of guests come through the gates each year. It is produced by its co-founders and supports the Northwest Cider Association, Seattle Humane and the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research. Brand presence Amazon presents the festival, with support from Slightly Furry's Southend Public House, Oregon Fruit Co., Columbia Bank, the Northwest Cider Association and The Odom Corporation. The Stranger and SIP Magazine are media partners. Oregon Fruit Co. names the fruit cider challenge, and sponsors and vendors put offers in the Cider Summit Rewards email sent to every online ticket buyer after the event.