Celebrating Oktoberfest in Cincinnati

Celebrating Oktoberfest in Cincinnati

When you mention big Oktoberfest celebrations, most people will immediately think of the famous Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. But one of the biggest Oktoberfest celebrations ironically happens in the United States of America, more precisely in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati has a pretty big German community, hence the big celebration. Last year, I attended Oktoberfest there with some of my friends, and I loved it. The festival was a mix of a traditional American fair and the real Oktoberfest celebration. And I was very surprised to see how many people actually wore the traditional German attire during Oktoberfest!

As you can see, Oktoberfest in Cincinnati offers plenty of food stands.

When?

The celebration of Oktoberfest in Cincinnati actually happens at the end of September, not in October. The exact dates are different each year, but in the last few years, Oktoberfest in Cincinnati was happening either the third or the fourth weekend of September.

The timing is actually perfect, because the end of September is still pretty warm in Ohio, as opposed to October, which can already be pretty cold. As you can see on the pictures, most people were wearing short sleeves - a pretty good indication that the weather was warm on that day.

The Oktoberfest festivities go on the whole day, and even if you decide to stay there the whole day, there will always be something going on, so you will not be bored at all.

Where?

The Cincinnati Oktoberfest takes place on the outskirts of the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. Organizers go out of their way each year by offering free parking and then free shuttle buses to the festival grounds. This is great for the following two reasons: parking at most festivals can be a hassle, and by having shuttle buses, the wait to get out of the parking lot and the traffic jams are eliminated. Also, a fair amount of people attend Oktoberfest because of beer. And I think they should totally rename Oktoberfest into Oktobeerfest because of that. So, some people will drink a lot, and taking a shuttle is a million times safer than drunk driving.

There are several designated parking lots, and you can pick whichever one you want, assuming it is not full. From the parking lot, you can take a free shuttle bus to the festival grounds. And this is not your ordinary shuttle. The shuttles at Cincinnati Oktoberfest are yellow school buses, just like the ones you see in American movies! I actually wanted to ride in one of those since I was a kid, and my wish finally came true last year.

The shuttles run roughly every fifteen to twenty minutes, so you will never have to wait too long to get to or from the festival grounds. The employees (you will recognize them because they wear reflective yellow vests) will be more than glad to let you know when the next school bus shuttle will arrive.

What to do?

There are plenty of things to do at Cincinnati Oktoberfest. Other than drinking beer and eating sauerkraut with sausage, of course.

This was one of my favourite food stands at this Oktoberfest. They were selling schnitzel sandwiches, the Bierwurst sausage and potato pancakes.

The stall right next to it was selling funnel cakes, roasted almonds, and, behold, chocolate covered cheesecakes on a stick!

There are several stalls all over the festival grounds, that sell typical German products. These products range from cheese, honey, sausages, jam, to funny T - shirts, mugs, toys and imported bottled beer. And if you are looking for a souvenir, let me tell you that it is really hard to pick just one among so many great ones. It is true that you cannot go wrong with food, but, on the other hand, once you eat it, you do not have a souvenir anymore.

Throughout the day, musicians will perform traditional German music on the main stage, and you will also be able to see a traditional dance.

The good thing is that the area next to the stage is shaded - if it is a hot day, you will stay in the shade this way, and if it is a rainy day, you will not get wet.

Then, you can play different, arcade - style games, and the typical Midwestern game, cornhole. The goal of that game is to basically manage to throw a bag, filled with corn, into a hole in the wooden plank. It is way harder than it sounds. And just imagine people doing that after they had a few beers. The results are hilarious.

There are also a few typical carnival rides, which look super fun, but I did not do any of them. Recently, there was an accident at an Ohio state fair with one of those rides, and a kid died when the ride malfunctioned, so I prefer to stick to actual amusement park rides from that event on.

And there is one thing that I have to mention, regarding paying for food or rides. You cannot pay with money or a credit card. And no, it is not free. How their system works, is you go to a token stand at the beginning, and exchange the amount of money you would like to spend, for tokens. And the prices you will see, will also be displayed in tokens.

A short conclusion...

Attending the Oktoberfest celebration is always a lot of fun. And if you have German roots, Oktoberfest is a great celebration of your heritage. When I attended the Oktoberfest in Cincinnati, I was positively surprised about how many German people were there. And, as a bonus, I was able to practice my German while ordering food and drinks.

Photo gallery