Not only is San Diego known for its abundant sunshine, warm temperatures and friendly people, it's also considered one of the top vacation destinations in all of California. San Diego has a rich and storied history as an American city that dates back to the mid-19th century. While people moved here for various reasons and purposes, the city really didn't begin to establish itself until the 1860’s, when investors like Alonzo Horton began to buy and develop land in the area.
The end of the 19th century saw the great fire of 1872, population booms from land development, major infrastructure improvements, and subsequently population drops after booms in various businesses subsided. The 20th century witnessed San Diego become one of the biggest cities in the state. People flocked to the area for its high quality of life, beautiful weather, and opportunities for business. San Diego is currently the second largest city in the state with over 1.3 million residents.
San Diego has so much to offer visitors that you’ll probably need a few trips here just to get a taste of what this great city has to offer. Try visiting one of the many local amusement parks, shopping centers, miles of pristine beaches, or just kick back at one of the public parks. The dining scene here is unmatched, and you’ll find some of the country's brightest culinary minds, demonstrating their talents at a spectrum of dining establishments. The detailed history of the city is easily accessible at one of the many great museums or historical exhibits. The city is also home to some fun and immersive events and festivals. One festival that has been a popular up-and-coming event is the San Diego Beer and Music Festival.
Entering only its third year of existence, the San Diego Beer and Music Festival has already made a big name for itself. This year they are expecting over 3,000 people to come out and experience their unique blend of great live music and unique craft beers from local breweries. This event is adult only (21+) and is held at spacious confines of Liberty Station NTC Park. You’ll encounter a wide assortment of great food vendors, as well as some great activities for attendees to enjoy. Take your next San Diego adventure to the next level and visit the San Diego Beer and Music Festival for an experience you won't forget. We got the opportunity to interview Ryan Wieczorek, Representative for the San Diego Beer and Music Festival, to talk about this great event.
RAL: Tell me a little bit about the event.
RW: This our third year doing the event. It started small at Bassment Nightclub, then we went to Waterfront Park in Downtown, but we find it best to use Liberty Station because of it’s layout and location within the city. For attendees we are expecting around 3,000 people. Our other events draw anywhere from 1,000 - 6,000. The crowd is definitely centered around a younger (25-35 year old) demographic, but we do have groups of all ages. In fact, 35-50 year olds are our second biggest group of participants. We don’t allow children, and I would say that this is not a family-style event. This is an event to be enjoyed with friends, groups, co-workers, and couples.
RAL: What makes this event unique?
RW: We host our beer festival at night time and we have a huge entertainment component, ensuring everyone is having fun all four hours of the event.
RAL: Take me through a typical day at the event.
RW: We will have a wide range of fun activities at the festival including beer tasting, pop-up hair styling, and bands playing songs that everyone knows. We encourage people to sing the loudest they can.
There will be tons of food trucks with different cuisines, no matter what type of food you like, we’ll have something like it here.
The environment of the festival is fun, open and welcoming. The event is held in a outdoor park with fresh air and it’s the ideal place to witness beautiful sunsets, plus it's set right against the stunning backdrop that is the bay.
RAL: What can attendees expect to find for local lodging?
RW: There are two hotels at Liberty Station, the Courtyard Marmot and the Homewood Suites. If you stay there, you can literally walk over to the event. Sometimes the lodging at Liberty Station will reach maximum capacity but there are more hotels close by in Point Loma.
RAL: Are there any popular places locally that people tend to gather during the festival?
RW: People usually meet at Stone Brewing before the event to pre-game and socialize.
RAL: Does the festival drive business to the local economy?
RW: Yes, the restaurants and shops of liberty station receive tons of benefits and foot traffic from this event.
RAL: Does the event support any special causes?
RW: We support Leah’s Pantry, a group dedicated to installing nutrition programs for those in need.
RAL: Why should people come to your festival?
RW: People love our events, they have fun the whole time, they meet new people, everyone is like a big family there. The people that come to this event come to all our events in San Diego. Sometimes they even drive to our OC and LA events.
For more information about the San Diego Beer and Music Festival, please visit their website.