By Kai Oliver-Kurtin

Lending the real Ron Burgundy’s name to a good cause

More than 6,000 people are expected to attend the second annual Best Coast Beer Fest on March 12 at Embarcadero Marina Park South, where attendees can sample beer from nearly 100 craft breweries, listen to live music, visit the food truck alley for chow, and even watch an outdoor movie later that night.

As the only beer festival endorsed by comedian and actor Will Ferrell, the Best Coast Beer Fest is billed as, “the most amazing beer festival in the history of mankind.”

According to producer Amy Ulkutekin, the event staff learned a lot from the inaugural festival last year.

“We will be making improvements to make sure that everyone has an awesome time,” Ulkutekin said. “We’ve completely revamped the VIP experience, we’ll have more restrooms, will be pre-checking to allow quicker entrance to the festival, and have even more breweries on board this year.”

During the festival, guests will enjoy live music from two bands — Dirty Bird and Rocky’s Revival — and have the option to purchase food from 10 different food trucks.

The festival benefits Cancer for College, a local nonprofit organization where Will Ferrell serves as an executive board member.

Cancer for College was founded by Craig Pollard — Ferrell’s college fraternity brother at the University of Southern California — a two-time cancer survivor.

“I knew that if I survived, I wanted to do something to help other cancer survivors,” Pollard said. “While volunteering at a camp for seriously ill children and their families, I saw how the kids lit up when they found out I was in college. The idea of returning to some kind of normal life is important to a person dealing with cancer. Helping them return to some kind of normalcy seemed like a way I could make an impact.”

One grateful scholarship recipient, college student Kalina Campion, is a member of Rocky’s Revival, one of the bands playing during the festival.

“We have found that our scholarship recipients tend to be more focused and determined to not only graduate from college, but make a difference in the world around them,” Pollard said.

Since 1993, Cancer for College has granted nearly $2 million worth of scholarships to more than 1,000 cancer survivors. They’re currently in the process of creating an endowment fund to secure sustainable funding for a significant number of scholarships annually, as long as there’s a need.

Pollard said Ferrell has been involved with Cancer for College since the beginning and has used his celebrity to help raise money and bring a level of awareness to their cause that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.

“Will is a genuine person and a very loyal friend,” Pollard said. “His mantra to me has been to ‘use him to do the most good’ for the charity.”

Cancer for College will have a booth at the festival where they’ll be selling their popular Will Ferrell Super Mega Sexy Hot Tan Sunscreen, as well as other items autographed by Ferrell.

“Through our partnership with Cancer for College, we’ve been able to create a festival with a fun personality — something essential to a beer festival,” Ulkutekin said.

General admission tickets, called “Stay Classy,” include festival attendance from 1 – 4 p.m. and a souvenir tasting cup for unlimited beer samples. Afternoon VIP tickets (currently sold out) also include early entrance to the festival at noon and access to the VIP tent, which offers reserve beers, an unlimited Lucha Libre taco bar and private restrooms. Private cabanas are also available for up to 10 people.

For those who prefer to sip at night, evening tickets (general admission and VIP) to the beer fest are available from 5 – 8 p.m., and include a movie screening of one of Will Ferrell’s favorite movies (think “Step Brothers” or “Zoolander”). Ticket prices increase as the date draws closer to the festival.

For more information, to volunteer or purchase tickets, visit bestcoastbeerfest.com. To learn more about the Pollard’s charity, visit cancerforcollege.org.

—Kai Oliver-Kurtin is a local freelance writer. She enjoys covering events, restaurant news, culture and entertainment. Contact her at [email protected].