|
Only have a minute? Listen instead
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Brownsville Beerfest LLC has come up with a new way to party to benefit nonprofit and civic groups: Agave Fest, a tequila-centric fundraiser scheduled for May 4 at Market Square.
The event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. and will feature a dozen or so bars giving out cocktails and a roughly equal number of a restaurants offering food samples. Live music will be provided by the group Infusion, which plays “a little bit of everything,” according to Myrna DeCoss Rios, who’s been with Beerfest since it was founded in 2013 and now serves as the organization’s the first woman president.
The event has about 20 sponsors, the biggest being SpaceX, though Mijenta Tequila, a woman-owned distillery in Jalisco, Mexico, is also a top sponsor and will supply Agave Fest’s vital fluid.
“They will be providing the tequila for about 12 bars that will be giving out samples of the different cocktails that they make at their bars,” Rios said. “We are also making it a contest. It’s people’s choice. At the gate every person that walks in will be getting a ticket for their drink of choice and their food of choice.”
Food and drink stations will feature a ticket box for festival-goers to cast their votes for best cocktails and edibles, she said.
The list of bars and restaurants, from downtown and elsewhere around Brownsville, is still coming together, Rios said, noting that the list tends to be fluid as well, with some vendors inevitably pulling out at the last minute and others waiting to take their spot.
Establishments interested in participating can message Beerfest through its social medial platforms, where a link to tickets is also available.
Advance tickets are $40 per person or two for $70. Tickets at the gate will be $50 per person. VIP tickets are also available for $100 per person and come with special privileges, though only about 50 VIP tickets were still available as of press time.
“For the VIP experience, it includes a commemorative shot glass with our logo on it,” Rios said. “They will also access to another restaurant inside of the VIP area. They will have access to an agave tasting, so we’ll have mescals, tequilas, just different types of agave that they can try out.”
Food in the VIP section will be provided by Mr. Taco. It will also feature a michelada. In addition to cocktails, beer will be available to all ticket holders at the event.
A portion of the proceeds from Agave Fest will go to groups such as the Child Protective Services Rainbow Room, Tip of Texas Family Outreach, Children Advocacy Centers in Cameron and Willacy counties, and to a group of science teacher volunteers called “Scientific Wizards.”
“We give them a check so they can buy stuff for their students so they can do projects,” Rios said. “We’ve been working with them for many years now. They help volunteer. They’re the heart of the festival or any event we have, because they bring the manpower, and we give back to them.”
