The only thing better than a beer garden is an outdoor beer garden. Tonight from 6 to 10, the Van Aken Beer Garden returns to Shaker Plaza. The event takes place outside, in the plaza’s west parking lot at the corner of Farnsleigh Road and Van Aken Boulevard, and inside, in the storefront next to the Pearl Asian Kitchen.

The event will feature live music courtesy of the terrific alt folk act Maura Rogers and the Bellows, food, beer, wine, cocktails, retail vendors and children’s activities, and highlights the development of Shaker’s new downtown, the Van Aken District, scheduled to open in the summer of 2018.

When open, the District will feature a mix of restaurants, retail, residential and office space built around planned public spaces. Admission to tonight’s event is free.

This article appears in Jul 19-25, 2017.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.