Oktoberfest Time!
Fall is in the air, so it must be Oktoberfest time! The celebration may have started as a festival around a royal wedding in Germany, but communities around the world have embraced the idea of pairing beer with a bit of music and a whole lot of fun.
Here are some of the Oktoberfests on tap this season:
The biggest Oktoberfest, of course, is the one in Munich, Germany. The first keg is tapped September 21, 2013, and the fun continues through October 6, 2013.
Not to be left out, Vienna, Austria, has its own Oktoberfest — and it lasts two days longer than the one over in Bavaria. This year’s dates are September 19 through October 6, 2013. This version will have a strong Austrian flavor, with Wiener Schnitzel, sausage, roast pork and crispy pork knuckle on the menu. The beer comes from Austria, and the wine is from Viennese producers.
The 43rd annual Oktoberfest in Big Bear Lake, California, takes place on weekends from September 14 through October 26, 2013.
The Munich Evergreen Band will provide the music at the Oktoberfest set for 4 to 11 p.m. September 27 and 28, 2013, in the Houston (Texas) Liederkranz Hall. It’s sponsored by the liederkranz and the Houston Saengerbund.
The Upland Oktoberfest in Military Park, downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, features Bavarian-style beer from 1 to 9 p.m. September 28, 2013.
Fredericksburg, Texas — founded by Germans — puts on quite a party for its annual Oktoberfest on the Marketplatz. It’s Texas oompah at its best. This year — the 33rd — it’ll be the weekend of October 4 through 6, 2013.
The Alabama Brewers Guild is coming to the annual Oktoberfest in Cullman, Alabama, to set up a beer garden like no other during the eight-day fest, set for October 5 to 12, 2013.
In St. Louis, Missouri, the Soulard Oktoberfest is set for October 11, 12 and 13, 2013.
Oktoberfest in Dayton, Ohio, will be celebrated October 12, 2013, at the Liederkranz Turner Clubhouse.
The annual International Oktoberfest in Newport, Rhode Island, takes place Columbus Day Weekend, October 12 and 13, 2013.
Bavarian Club Edelweiss celebrates Oktoberfest October 13, 2013, in Holy Rosary School Auditorium, Hawthorne New York.
In Cape Coral, Florida, Oktoberfest is celebrated on two weekends: October 18 through 20 and October 25 through 27, 2013, by the German American Social Club of Cape Coral.
On October 19, 2013, the Dover (Delaware) German American Club celebrates its 36th annual Oktoberfest.
An Oktoberfest is planned for October 26 and 27, 2013, in the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It’s sponsored by Amerika Woche.
(Photo courtesy of Munich’s Oktoberfest)