The festival features music, lawn games and around 30 vendors offering Gluten-free food and beverages

ATLANTA — Cereal, bread and pasta are staples in many people’s diets. But for those with Gluten sensitivity, these foods can lead to inflammation and digestive issues. Joel Iverson’s son is Gluten-intolerant, which lead Iverson to experiment with making Gluten-free pizza and other items. 

Iverson is co-founder and CEO of Monday Night Brewing, an Atlanta brewery that got off the ground in 2011.



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“Me and a group of guys were in a Friday morning 6 a.m. Bible study,” Iverson said. “We were looking for a way to hang out, because we didn’t know each other that well. So we started getting together on Monday nights and trying to brew batches of beer as a way to hang out and build relationship.”

The brewery, which has locations at Monday Night Grove in West Midtown and Monday Night Garage in the Historic West End, regularly hosts community events like the Gluten Freedom Festival, which surpassed expectations in year one according to Iverson.

“I thought maybe we’d get 500 people, turns out we got almost 5,000 people,” Iverson said. “We were blown away at the response. The Gluten Freedom Festival is one of these fun side projects. One of our brewers, his wife is Gluten-intolerant, so he started playing around with Gluten-free beers. Turn out, most Gluten-free beers are not that delicious. So he was on a mission to make a great one. Now, we showcase all these amazing small vendors that have built up the Gluten-free community in Atlanta.”

Ahead of the second edition, Gluten Freedom Festival creator Stephanie Pardue said more than 30 vendors will take part to raise awareness about Gluten-intolerance. 

“I started the Gluten-free Atlanta Facebook group,” Pardue said. “It’s about 7,000 people now, so it keeps me pretty busy. Seventeen years ago, I started cutting out Gluten and noticed my inflammation felt better around my body. That’s what started my journey with no Gluten. I just wanted a group to recommend restaurants, to go somewhere and be safe. I wanted to be normal. That’s really all I wanted.”

It’s estimated about one in ten people have some sort of sensitivity to Gluten, often found in wheat, rye and barley. Through the festival, completely free of charge, Pardue hopes those with Gluten-intolerance feel valued.

“I just want them to have fun and feel normal,” Pardue said. “I want them to celebrate having a fun day and not think about if there’s cross-contamination. It’s just the ease of being normal and having food, all kinds of food, just to eat it and feel safe and to celebrate that.”

It all flows back to Joel Iverson’s mission of bringing community together. The Gluten Freedom Festival will be Sunday, September 27 from noon to 6 p.m. at Monday Night Garage in the West End. There will be music, outdoor games and Gluten-free food and drinks for purchase. There is no charge to get into the festival. Monday Night Garage will also hold a Gluten-free food drive during the festival, sending people’s donations to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

“We want to be the most inclusive brewery someone can come to,” Iverson said. “You’re going to get beer drinkers, but if you’re not a beer drinker or if you’re a Gluten-free beer drinker or if you don’t drink alcohol at all, we want to be a place that you feel seen and welcomed and you have options.”