While one big beer festival did not return for this Memorial Day weekend, another is back in full force as Bear Fest will once again take over the back parking lot at Boxing Bear’s Firestone taproom and brewery.

The event runs from noon to 6 p.m. this Saturday, featuring five guest breweries and one distillery, plus plenty of local vendors, food trucks, and live music. Tickets are $25 apiece and are still available online (there may be some at the door, but that is always a risk). This is a 21-and-over event, so leave the kiddos at home. There are $10 tickets for designated drivers, but they must also be at least 21.

Vendors will include High Desert Flameworks, Southwest Organic Producers (SWOP), and many more. You can find the full list at the ticket link above.

Food will be provided by Zia Bros Pizza, Chef T’s House, Good Dawgs Hot Dogs, Zenmomo505 Dumplings, and dessert will be available from Strawberries and More.

The music lineup is DJ Shakedown, DJ Clout, and Spanish Bloom Flamenco.

There will be water stations throughout, so yes, you can bring your own water bottle. Don’t forget the sunscreen, as this event is mostly outdoors. You can also bring a lawn chair, if you are not one to stand for an hour or more, as seating will be limited.

On the beer side of things, you get a commemorative pint glass, four 4-ounce sample tickets, and one ticket for a free pour. You can also purchase additional samples and full pours from the breweries.

We do not know what the hosts will be serving from their extensive lineup (perhaps the just-released, for-a-good-cause Polly’s Run Pale Ale?), but we did reach out to the other five breweries, and four let us know what they will be bringing. If we do hear back from Starr Brothers before the fest kicks off, we will update their entry.

• Canteen: High Plains Pils, Citranova, Exodus IPA, Helles Awaits
• Marble: Cerveza, Alpha Acid Trip: Que Onda Tropical IPA, The Lighter Side: Helles, Maytag Man (Lager)
• Palmer: Amber Ale, Alagrr Mexican Lager, plus Left Turn cocktails
• Starr Brothers: TBD
• Turtle Mountain: Koi No Yokan (Japanese Rice Lager), Drawn and Cornered (Cream Ale), Cosmic Campground (Black IPA), Mr. Hoover’s Steam (Cali Common)

Lagers will definitely rule the day, which is just fine with the temperature in the 80s.

Parking is free, but the brewery lot is pretty limited, so park on the dirt lots to the north and south. Or just take Uber or Lyft, which is probably the safest way to go on a holiday weekend (use code MEMORIAL23 for Uber for a discount).

Keep supporting local!

— Stoutmeister