The Westport Beer Festival and Other Weekend Possibilities

The Westport Beer Festival returns for its sixth year on Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. The event is in front of McCoy’s Public House and benefits AIDS Walk Kansas City. Try samples from more than three dozen breweries (Perennial Artisan Ales and Founders Brewing Co. among them), along with a few local distilleries (J. Rieger & Co., Tom’s Town). Tickets are $35 ($40 at the gate).

Breakfast will have its due during the Country Brunch & Bloody Mary Smackdown on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at The Guild (1621 Locust St.). The event, a benefit for No Kid Hungry, features an all-star lineup of local chefs and bartenders (see the full lineup here). General admission tickets are $80 (VIP tickets are $160 and include entry at 10 a.m.).

Cruise on over to Greece this weekend with the Greek Festival at the St. Dionysios Greek Orthodox Christian Church (8100 W. 95th St., Overland Park). There’s dancing and shopping, but you should go for the gyros and souvlakia. Save a little room for the honey-sweetened baklava. Admission is free. The festival is tonight from 5 to 10 p.m., tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tonight you can take a Wine & Brew Walk on the Square from 6 to 9 p.m. The sixth-annual event, which features Missouri wine and beer, is a fundraiser for the preservation of Independence Square. Check-in is at the Exchange Event Space (113 W. Lexington Ave., Independence), where you get a souvenir wine glass and then walk to visit the surrounding shops, which will pour you samples from area wineries and breweries. Tickets are $25.

The future of shopping malls is not the world envisioned by dystopian science fiction films. Shop for vintage finds with a cinnamon roll and coffee in hand. McClain’s Bakery and Post Coffee Co. will be at the Vintage Market Days of Overland Park at the Metcalf South Shopping Center (9500 Metcalf Ave.). The bazaar in the former Macy’s is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Sunday.

Browne’s Irish Marketplace (3300 Pennsylvania Ave.) throws the mother of all backyard parties on Saturday from 3 to 11 p.m. There’s a proper whiskey bar, Guinness on tap and plenty of Irish fare. The annual fest also has a host of live entertainment (Celtic dancers, bagpipers and The Elders) between 3 and 9 p.m.

— Jonathan Bender writes about food trends and is the author of “Cookies & Beer” and “Stock, Broth & Bowl.” Follow him on Twitter @jonathanbender.