8 Ways Eat and Drink Your Way Through the Weekend

This is the weekend to try a little bit of everything with no less than eight big food festivals taking place across the city. Look for food trucks and White Castle all weekend at the Las Vegas Foodie Fest, beers galore at the Golden Nugget's Fall Beer Festival and Rock n Roll Beer Festival at the Hard Rock Hotel, Japanese fare, fashions and cocktails as well as pig, pig, pig at All-Star Cochon to wrap up the weekend. Here now, eight ways to eat and drink your way through the weekend.

Friday
Fourth Annual Fall Beer Festival
Where: The Golden Nugget, 129 E. Fremont St., Las Vegas
When: Friday and Saturday
What: The two-day festival kicks off tonight with the All American Craft Beer Tasting sponsored by Craft Brewers, a division of Anheuser Busch, from 7 to 10 p.m. Guests can sample more than 125 craft beer selections as well as appetizers while listening to live music. Each guest will receive a commemorative Golden Nugget glass as a souvenir. Tickets to the event can be purchased individually for $50. Saturday features a traditional Oktoberfest Pool Party, sponsored by Paulaner, at The Tank from 1 to 7 p.m.. Admission is free and beer enthusiasts can sample more than 150 American craft beers available for purchase along with bratwursts, pretzels and more.
Tickets: 1-866-946-5336

The Las Vegas Foodie Fest
Where: Silverton, 3333 Blue Diamond Road
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday
What: Food trucks and vendors, entertainment, carnival rides and games take over the Silverton parking lot for an event benefitting Epicurean Charitable Foundation of Las Vegas. More than 30 food trucks and vendors including returning headliner White Castle as well as The Buttermilk Truck, BACONMANia, White Rabbit, Vizzi Truck, Devilicious, Fukuburger, Jogasaki Burrito, Fist of Fusion and Fluff Ice will be on hand from 4 p.m. to midnight tonight, noon to midnight Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets: $10 for admission all three days

Rock n Roll Beer Festival
Where: Hard Rock Hotel, 4455 Paradise Rd
What: The bi-annual Rock n Roll Beer Festival brings unlimited craft beer samples from 22 different breweries.
Tickets: $40 to $60

Saturday
Cheers for Chocolate
Where: Tivoli Village
When: Saturday
What: Easter Seals throws its third annual Cheers to Chocolate from 7 to 9 p.m. with more than 20 different wines provided by Total Wine & More and chocolates by Vosges Haut Chocolate, Pinkbox Doughnuts, CupKates and more.
Tickets: $40 in advance, $45 at the door. 

Fall Cocktail Collection
Where: Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health Keep Memory Alive Event Center, 888 W. Bonneville Ave.
When: Saturday
What: Sipping Society throws this shindig from 6 to 10 p.m. that combines mixology, cuisine and fashion. Bartenders from Velveteen Rabbit, Vanguard Lounge, Commonwealth and Atomic Liquor as well as The Modern Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim will showcase artisanal cocktail canapés in three-ounce pours. Themed cocktail lounges will surround the event space, including the Martini Lounge, featuring everything classic to molecular martinis; the Latin Lounge, with Latin-inspired artisanal cocktails, tequila and margaritas; the Whiskey and Bourbon Lounge, with drinks straight up, on the rocks, or old fashioned; and the Fall Beer Garden, with seasonal craft beers. Food comes from KGB, Capo's Italian Steakhouse, Via Brasil Steakhouse and more, while runway shows and fashion vignettes from Stitched at the Cosmopolitan, Envy, Ermelinda Manos Designs and Avanseh by Reyna Herrera surround.
Tickets: $55 for presale general admission or $70 at the door and $85 presale VIP or $100 at the door.

Aki Matsuri
Where: Rio parking lot, 3700 W. Flamingo Road
When: Saturday
What: The traditional autumn festival celebrated in Japan brings sushi, octopus balls called takoyaki, ramen, teriyakl and a variety of other street foods. Karaoke, cosplay and martial-arts demos will also be on hand from 11 a.m. to midnight
Tickets: $5 in advance, $8 at the door

Tacorama Festival
Where: Boulevard Mall, 3528 S. Maryland Pkwy.
What: Tacos and Viva Las Vegas festivities combine at this free festival from noon to 8 p.m.
Tickets: Free

Sunday
All-Star Cochon
Where: Commonwealth, 525 E. Fremont St.
When: Sunday
What: Heritage breed pigs will be cooked from snout to tail at the All-Star Cochon, a late-night Asian feast starting at 5 p.m. Chinese, Szechuan, Korean, Thai and Japanese fare from select chefs and butchers from across the country as well as head-to-head butcher demonstrations are on the menu.
Tickets: $100 per person, general admittance is available at 6 p.m. which includes food tastings, Silver Oak Cellars and Labor Wines, beer, Fernet Branca cocktails, ciders and the "Perfect Manhattan" Bourbon Bar featuring Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace, Hirsch, Four Roses, Breckenridge Bourbon and Luxardo cherries.