SATURDAY, OCT. 18 2014 >>>

1. It's October, which can mean only one thing: fans of hip-hop and cartoonish German culture can rejoice. Maltoberfest is back and as Olde English-sodden as ever! For the uninitiated, Maltoberfest is a sublimely beer-soaked celebration of hip-hop and oompah, punk and pretzels and - above all else - more malt liquor than anyone has ever seen in one place at one time - 7 p.m. at Stonegate Restaurant & Bar. Attendees are encouraged to come dressed in their best hip-hop and/or German attire, while a wide array of bands serenade the increasingly drunk revelers. This year's performers include favorites like rap collective 508 Disturbanceand punk marching band Artesian Rumble Arkestra, as well as newcomers like the indie rock of the Breakfast Cowboy and the weirdo hillbilly rap of Three Ninjas & the Weird Old Tricks, among others.

2. The Washington Beer Commission will host its inaugural South Sound IPA Festival with two sessions at downtown Tacoma's Union Station. Its first venture into the City of Destiny, the WBC will host 26 Washington breweries - including several for the South Sound - pouring their IPAs during an afternoon and evening session at Union Station in downtown Tacoma. In all, there will be at least 48 craft beers, most hitting the high mark on the International Bitterness Units (IBUs) scale. For complete details, click here.

3. In celebration of Tacoma Arts Month, Nitty Gritty Tacoma Salvage & Industrial Art Show will feature local art that revolves around Tacoma industry and architecture from 1-5 p.m. at Earthwise Architectural Salvage. Puyallup Tribe graffiti artist Daniel Yeloe and mural artist Chris Sharp will be in attendance for a meet-and-greet and the unveiling of their art from 3-4 p.m. Kim Archer, A Flock of Geezers and Shotgun Kitchen will provide the live soundtrack. Food will be available for purchase from Finnwick's Kitchen. Anthem Coffee will be providing free beverages.

4. The Northwest Playwrights Alliance's Double Shot Play Fest is a chance for local scribes to show off and, just as important, for the organization to make a little spending cash. Consider this: eager writers go to work the evening before the festival, as that's when they're handed the topic for a brand-new, 10-minute play. A troupe of actors arrives at Broadway Center the next morning to rehearse the resulting scripts for a 7:30 show at Theatre on the Square. Then the same plays are performed at a 2 p.m. tomorrow. This year, in a welcome shift toward marginalized voices, the writers, directors, and repertory cast are all women. Read Christian Carvajal's full feature on the Double Shot Play Fest in the Music & Culture section.

5. There's just no faking the sort of unbridled exuberance that bursts forth from Portland punk trio Hey Lover. How awesome are these guys? The husband and wife that make up two thirds of the group played Hey Lover's first show following their own wedding. That had to have been the best wedding reception in the history of the form. With regards to their music, Hey Lover work almost exclusively in rowdy blasts of endorphin-sapping punk. Catch the band with Anteek Junkees, Various Moods and Heads Out the Window at 8 p.m. in Bob's Java Jive.

LINK: Saturday, Oct. 18 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area