Bacon & Brew festival returns to Danbury’s CityCenter

Skid Row will headline at the Bacon & Brew Festival Saturday, Aug. 26, at CityCenter, Danbury. Skid Row will headline at the Bacon & Brew Festival Saturday, Aug. 26, at CityCenter, Danbury. Photo: Skid Row / Contributed Photo Photo: Skid Row / Contributed Photo Image 1 of / 155 Caption Close Bacon & Brew festival returns to Danbury’s CityCenter 1 / 155 Back to Gallery

Pork lovers rejoice!

The i95 Rock radio Bacon & Brew Festival returns Saturday, Aug. 26, to CityCenter Green in Danbury, featuring “lots of bacon, ice cold beers and live music from national and local bands,” said Missy Repola, live events manager for the station’s Townsquare Media Danbury.

This is an open-air, rain or shine event. The headliner is Skid Row, an American heavy metal band formed in 1986 in Toms River, N.J., from 7:30 to 9 p.m. The band, which found immediate success with its early albums, “Skid Road” and “Slave to the Grind,” won an American Music Award in 1990 as the Favorite Heavy Metal New Artist.

Earlier in the day, local bands — Three Legged Dog, Sydney and Some Wolves and John Fazio Jr. — will be featured.

The annual fest “is a one-of-a-kind event” that draws about 1,200 bacon fans who apparently enjoy sipping a cold craft beer while checking out displays from local sponsors and purchasing tidbits from local purveyors of pork goods and other savory and sweet items.

“As attendees walk through the event they will get to taste some delicious craft brew and mouth-watering, bacon-inspired tastes that local restaurants will be cooking up,” she said.

Participating will be O’Deen’s BBQ, Gallucci’s Catering, Tiger’s Den, Twins BBQ Co., Big Bad Wolfe and Spacey Tracy’s Gourmet & Deep Fried Pickles. A number of vendors, including Danbury Alpha Romeo Fiat, will be on hand. (A list of participating breweries was not available at press time.)

Large Dave, an i95 DJ, proudly calls himself the “Bacon Man.” He announced, “I’m throwing a party in CityCenter. ... You know you want to party with me. What’s better than that? Partying with me on the cheap.”

Several DJs from the station are expected to stop by, Repola said. “It’s a great atmosphere — a day in the park where you can see familiar faces and a lot of our loyal listeners take this opportunity to get together,” she said.

More Information CityCenter Green, 101 Railroad Place, Danbury. Saturday, Aug. 26, from 3-9 p.m. $15 in advance, $20 at the gate. Children welcome, ($5 for 12-3) and free age 2, younger. $5 per beer; prices for bacon appetizers vary. Must be 21 and older to purchase beer. No pets. Rain or shine. ctbaconandbrew.com

“And beer and bacon go together so well” that it’s difficult not to celebrate the pairing or hold fast to a low-calorie diet, she added.

pasboros@ctpost.com; Twitter: @PhyllisASBoros