Two of the Twin Cities' top beer destinations celebrate birthdays this month. That means it's time to party. The Blue Nile is turning 20. While you might know it as an Ethiopian restaurant, the Blue Nile also has been a top beer bar since bartender Al McCarty took over the lounge a decade ago. McCarty is celebrating each weekend this month with a different beer event. This weekend it's "Battle of the Belg Part 2" with all Belgian styles on tap. On Oct. 23-25, it's "Hop Heads Only Redux," with all taps given over to IPAs and hoppy beers. The "Stouts and Porters Fest" (Oct. 30-Nov. 1) puts those brews, including Darkness 2008 and 2009, front and center.

Starting on Monday, Town Hall Brewery will celebrate 12 years with a full week of beer releases. Each day, the brewpub will tap a different keg or release a new batch of beer. Some of the beers have been barrel-aged, such as the Batch 1000 on Monday and the Grand Cru on Thursday. Each release starts between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Blue Nile: 2027 E. Franklin Av., Mpls. 612-338-3000. www.bluenilempls.com

Town Hall: 1430 Washington Av. S., Mpls. 612-339-8696. www.townhallbrewery.com

This is it, MJ

Are Michael Jackson fans still hungry for tributes? The producers of next week's "This Is It" documentary hope so. And so do the people behind "Inspire: A Tribute to Michael Jackson" at the Bryant-Lake Bowl theater. The show will feature dance numbers, live vocal performances, impersonations and video homages to the King of Pop.

9:30 p.m. today. 810 W. Lake St., Mpls. $12. 612-825-8949. www.bryantlakebowl.com

Party like a promoter

The guys who usually throw parties in the club scene will have a party of their own this weekend. The third annual Promoter's Ball takes place Saturday at the new Black Bamboo restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. The red-carpet affair will honor longtime promoters (the people who bring concerts and dance nights to downtown). Nonpromoters are welcome. The show will include music by gospel/soul group James Grear and Company, as well as jazz band Wenso Ashby. The red carpet will be hosted by former WNBA player/KMOJ host Tamara Moore.

8 p.m. Sat. 333 S. 7th St., Mpls. $25. www.tcpromotersball.com

Remix thy self

National slam champion and Def Poetry alum Robert Karimi is back on the scene with his autobiographical show, "self (the remix)." The performance could best be described as a spoken-word play with a hip-hop beat. With the help of DJ D Double, Karimi relives his coming of age as the child of Guatemalan and Iranian immigrants during the 1970s and '80s. The story unfolds with the sounds of the era -- from disco and hip-hop to the Iranian hostage crisis on TV.

7:30 p.m. today. Macalester Theater, Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center, 1600 Grand Av., St. Paul. Free. kaoticgood.com.

Light it up

Every year a couple of clubs celebrate Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights. This year, Om, the enormous new Indian restaurant on 1st Avenue, is getting in on the fun. Om will have a $30 tasting menu, free henna tattoos (9-11 p.m.) and DJ Wicked spinning Bollywood and bhangra (10 p.m.-2 a.m.). Next Friday, Envy will host Nasha Entertainment's Diwali party with DJs Nittin and Amit (10 p.m. $8).

Om: 401 1st Av. N., Mpls. 612-338-1510. www.omminneapolis.com.

Envy: 400 1st Av. N., Mpls. 612-673-9694. www.envympls.com.

thorgen@startribune.com • 612-673-7909