The 20th annual Spring Wine & Beer Fest kicks off at noon today at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. Admission is free today only for the first 500 guests when the doors open.

If you’re not lucky enough to be among the first 500, you can purchase a ticket package online; or at the door, prices are:

• Admission . . . . . . . . . . .. .$8.00
• Souvenir beer glass . . . . $10.00
• Souvenir wine glass . . . . $6.00
• Plastic Beer mug . . . . . . .$6.00
• Sampling tokens . . . . . .. .$1.00

Apparently this year only, since it’s the 20th anniversary, you can actually “Bring your favorite SB&WFest souvenir glass from past years to use” which is a good deal. Another new feature (touted on their home page) is growler filling stations, for which you can get one of their growlers filled for $16. (A natural extension of the growler craze of the past several years.)

The Fest runs all weekend, with a bit of a trade show air to it (or so I understand; it’s one of the festivals that I’ve never been to), where attendees can not only try beers, wines, and spirits, but also cheeses, chocolates, and other gourmet foods, and a variety of other goods and services (cutlery, jewelry, hats, trips, etc.). They’re hosting a good-looking list of breweries and cideries pouring some good stuff.

At 20 years this is one of the longer-running beer fests in the state, definitely worth a look if you haven’t been.