The festivities of this annual celebration kick off Friday evening at 5 p.m. with the World Beer Fest, perhaps the most popular event of the whole shebang.

Take your pick from 50 beers, 3 ciders and 1 soda (a root beer, of course!) from Japan, Belgium, France, Italy and Wales to name a few. Or pick up a sample tray of your favorites for only a buck each!. And, a 16 oz. cup is only $4! In my experience, this price is very reasonable compared to other beer festivals.

The party continues all day Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. Sign up for the 1st annual Arizona cornhole championship or browse the wares of multi-cultural artists, or settle in with your tray of beer samples and listen to a full lineup of music, from mariachi to jazz to celtic performers.

Don't worry, you won't have to stick to liquids all day (unless you want to). Local restuarants such as Shangri-La (Chinese), Avanti (Italian), and Tradiciones (Mexican) will be serving up tasty world cuisine. 

The festival will be located in Margaret T. Hance Park and admission is absolutely free. Click here to see a map for directions.

[Where: 1134 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ, 85004]