On Saturday, August 6, if you see folks walking around with more mustaches and beards than usual and more unusual mustaches and beards than usual, you’re still in NoHo.
Men and women from across the country will gather at the Federal Bar in North Hollywood on Saturday, August 6th for Beard Battle: Los Angeles, Southern Calfiornia’s largest beard and moustache competitions.
More than 100 competitors will duke it out for 30 prizes. There are ten categories, ranging from prim business beard to chin-busting works of freestyle beard art. There’s even a ladies-only “Whiskerinas” category featuring elaborate beards made of anything from bacon to chainmail.
This year’s event is hosted by The Gentlemen’s Social Club of Los Angeles (TGSCLA), a local group devoted to bearded men and the women who support them. TGSCLA has been working with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank by donating their time, and their volunteers have pitched in to help bring food to over 75,000 hungry people in the LA area.
2015 National Beard and Moustache Championships in Brooklyn, NY (photo credit: @Jmoustache)
TGSCLA and the Food Bank have partnered to hold a food drive. They are looking for donations of nutritional canned foods such as meats, fruits, and vegetables. A charity raffle benefitting the Food Bank will feature prizes donated by local business like PBR, In-N-Out, and Starbucks, and proceeds from the event will go to the Food Bank.
“It’s going to be like nothing you’ve ever seen before,” said TGSCLA vice president Daniel Lawlor. “We’ve got some of the best beards in the world. We’ve got amazing raffle prizes. We’ve got a whole weekend of partying on the slate. There really is something for everybody.”
The competition promises to be fierce, with national and international champions in attendance.
The event will be hosted by TGSCLA president Nate Johnson, a veteran beardsman and winner of four national titles. Nate has also been tapped to host September’s Just For Men National Beard and Moustache Championships in Nashville, Tennessee. Johnson encourages people to join TGSCLA for pre-competition drinks on Friday at Nobar and the official afterparty at the California Institute of Abnormalarts. The odddity museum is home to oddities like shrunken heads, a cursed French nobleman’s hand, and a hermetically sealed dead clown from the 1920s. “The dead clown is really cool,” says Johnson.
President/Founder of The Gentlemen’s Social Club of Los Angeles, Nathan “Chops” Johnson
Only one competitor will walk away with the night’s top prize – the Beast in Show award presented by event sponsor Pabst Blue Ribbon. Not only will the winner walk away with serious bragging rights, but also some serious swag: a custom Flying V electric guitar donated by PBR.
Doors open at the Federal Bar at 2pm and the battle begins at 3:30. Competitors are encouraged to arrive early to pre-register. Tickets and more info at www.beardbattlela.com.
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Author: Lisa Bianconi
Editor of www.nohoartsdistrict.com