Beer food music festivals hit Sun City

The Beats and Eats festival at Ascarate Lake started a little after 11 a.m. Saturday.

The name of the festival pretty much sums it up.

25 local vendors served up interesting foods like watermelon pizzas and fruit tacos.

Nineteen artists were expected to deliver sounds on two stages. One stage boasted a 100,000-watt sound system with an Eiffle Tower DJ booth.

Organizer Charles Dodds of Home Grown El Paso told ABC-7 the festival will showcase local food and talent.

“I think it’s just great to have all of these local businesses come together and bring a great festival here… it’s a festival that embraces everything from El Paso from Spanish to rock, to country, to house music. It brings everything together which is similar to the way El Paso is already,” said Dodds

Less than 15 minutes away at the County Coliseum, Oktoberfest was getting warmed up as well.

“We had to find a different venue because we didn’t want the tradition to die,” said event organizer Marco Andresian who last year helped organize Oktoberfest at Fort Bliss.

Last year bliss hosted the last Oktoberfest when the German Air force moved out of the military base.

Organizers wanted to make sure the event held to tradition.

“We said we’re going to take everything to keep it the way it was so that means German steins, and German food,” said Andresian.

Even the beer was authentic

“We had nearly 300 kegs shipped from Munich, Germany. Half of those are only brewed for the Oktoberfest,” Andresian told ABC-7.

Retired soldier Kelly McCargo told ABC-7 he had been to Oktoberfests in Germany. He said the El Paso Oktoberfest was just as fun.

“This is beautiful, everybody’s together(and) it holds up great,” said McCargo.