More than 6,000 people are expected to attend the second annual Best Coast Beer Fest<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n As the only beer festival endorsed by comedian and actor Will Ferrell, the Best Coast Beer Fest is billed as, \u201cthe most amazing beer festival in the history of mankind.\u201d<\/p>\n According to producer Amy Ulkutekin, the event staff learned a lot from the inaugural festival last year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will be making improvements to make sure that everyone has an awesome time,\u201d Ulkutekin said. \u201cWe\u2019ve completely revamped the VIP experience, we\u2019ll have more restrooms, will be pre-checking to allow quicker entrance to the festival, and have even more breweries on board this year.\u201d<\/p>\n During the festival, guests will enjoy live music from two bands \u2014 Dirty Bird and Rocky\u2019s Revival \u2014 and have the option to purchase food from 10 different food trucks.<\/p>\n The festival benefits Cancer for College, a local nonprofit organization where Will Ferrell serves as an executive board member.<\/p>\n Cancer for College was founded by Craig Pollard \u2014\u00a0Ferrell\u2019s college fraternity brother at the University of Southern California \u2014 a two-time cancer survivor.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew that if I survived, I wanted to do something to help other cancer survivors,\u201d Pollard said. \u201cWhile 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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,\u201d Pollard said.<\/p>\n Since 1993, Cancer for College has granted nearly\u00a0$2 million worth of scholarships to more than 1,000 cancer survivors. They\u2019re currently in the process of creating an endowment fund to secure sustainable funding for a significant number of scholarships annually, as long as there\u2019s a need.<\/p>\n 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\u2019t be possible.<\/p>\n \u201cWill is a genuine person and a very loyal friend,\u201d Pollard said. \u201cHis mantra to me has been to \u2018use him to do the most good\u2019 for the charity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThrough our partnership with Cancer for College, we\u2019ve been able to create a festival with a fun personality \u2014 something essential to a beer festival,\u201d Ulkutekin said.<\/p>\n General admission tickets, called \u201cStay Classy,\u201d include festival attendance from 1 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n For those who prefer to sip at night, evening tickets (general admission and VIP) to the beer fest are available from 5 \u2013 8 p.m., and include a movie screening of one of Will Ferrell\u2019s favorite movies (think \u201cStep Brothers\u201d or \u201cZoolander\u201d). Ticket prices increase as the date draws closer to the festival.<\/p>\n For more information, to volunteer or purchase tickets, visit bestcoastbeerfest.com<\/a>. To learn more about the Pollard\u2019s charity, visit cancerforcollege.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"BeerFest2webtop\"](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/BeerFest2webtop.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"CancerforCollegePubCrawl\"](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/CancerforCollegePubCrawl.jpg\")
<\/a>One grateful scholarship recipient, college student Kalina Campion, is a member of Rocky\u2019s Revival, one of the bands playing during the festival.<\/p>\n![\"WillCraigStacyCOLLEGE\"](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/WillCraigStacyCOLLEGE-300x263.jpg\")
<\/a>Cancer for College will have a booth at the festival where they\u2019ll be selling their popular Will Ferrell Super Mega Sexy Hot Tan Sunscreen, as well as other items autographed by Ferrell.<\/p>\n