Every September, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company plays hosts to the hopp’inist party in town, called FigtoberFest, in honor of the traditional OktoberFest celebration.  This year will be no different, as Fig Mtn. Brew will be throwing the party on Saturday, September 23 from 1:00 p.m. to close at their taprooms in Arroyo Grande, Buellton, Los Olivos, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Westlake Village. Admission is always free and everyone is welcome to attend.

“Who doesn’t love an excuse to put on lederhosen and drink great beer?” exclaims co-founder and Vice-President, Jim Dietenhofer. “Hosting FigtoberFest at all six locations allows everyone up and down the central coast to participate in the festivities.”

Stein deals will be available for $10, which includes a souvenir stein and your first fill of their delicious award-winning FigtoberFest lager. Enjoy your own FigtoberFest lager in pints, mugs or steins for only $5 all day long, with new specialty releases that will also be available for purchase.

Signature contests such as stein and keg-holding contests will be hosted at each taproom with a chance to win locally sourced prizes. If you’re feeling festive, make sure to dress up in your OktoberFest best—think lederhosen and dirndls— for a chance to win big at the costume contest.

Each taproom will also be selling specialty German food such as beer bratwurst and pretzels, and in WV, AG, SM and Buellton, there will be a full menu of delicious German dishes. Enjoy live music while you dine, as taprooms will be spinning festive music and hosting local bands all day. Rock out to The Bryan Titus Trio in Santa Barbara, the Ventucky String Band and New Vibe in Buellton, Judith & the Jazz Krewe and Trio Internationale in Santa Maria and also in Arroyo Grande, and The Paul Chesne Band in Westlake Village.

For more information about FigtoberFest visit www.FigtoberFest.com or www.FigMtnBrew.com for hours, directions and details.

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The impassioned, soulful voice of Lee Fields and the “post-modern barn dance” music of the Bryan Titus Trio are among the final additions to the lineup at this year’s Live Oak Music Festival, an annual fundraiser for public radio station KCBX over Father’s Day weekend.

Fields will perform with his band the Expressions. Born Elmer “Lee” Fields in 1950, the soulful singer was often compared to James Brown in the early years and was briefly the lead singer for Kool & the Gang, leaving the group just before the band broke through.

Titus also has a bit of soul in his voice, but his style of music channels the Southern sounds of Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. A mix of bluegrass and American roots, his trio captures music from another era with toe-tapping melodies and locked-in instrumentation.

The Live Oak Music Festival, a three-day event beginning June 16 at Live Oak Campground near Lake Cachuma, features more than two dozen acts, with music ranging from bluegrass and indie rock to funk, Latin, gospel and jazz.

The festival features nightly headliners, including Jackie Greene, Ozomatli and Donovan Frankenreiter, plus scores of others acts throughout the weekend, including Sara Watkins, Langhorne Slim, Birds of Chicago, The Brothers Comatose and Nick Waterhouse.

In addition to the main stage performances, the festival features two other stages with music, plus yoga, a drumming circle, storytelling and a jamming workshop led by fiddler, Phil Salazar and accordion player Michael Gutin.

All Live Oak Music Festival proceeds benefit KCBX Public Radio, serving Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and southern Monterey counties.

For ticket and other information, go to liveoakfest.org.

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