Oktoberfest brings 52 years of heritage Sept. 22-24

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There will be plenty to do this weekend at one of the longest-running festivals in Columbus with Schmidt’s Oktoberfest celebrating 52 years of their annual festival.

The celebrations in Columbus are reminiscent of the international Oktoberfest held in Munich, Germany each year. In years past, attendance for Schmidt’s Oktoberfest has reached over 35,000 people, making this weekend a must attend event for the whole family.  

Kicking off the weekend will be the Columbus Crew’s keg tapping on Friday at 6:15 p.m., along with the 9th annual Vier Meiler/Brat Trot five mile run/walk sponsored by M3S Sports.

There will be plenty of traditional German and polka music from bands such as Klaberheads and Alphorn Grüezie, a Columbus-based German alphorn band. A number of local contemporary music acts are set to play as well. 

Aside from live entertainment, there will be no shortage of alcohol at this year’s Oktoberfest, as should be expected of any good Oktoberfest celebration. Come sit back and enjoy some of Ohio’s best craft breweries in the Schmidt’s Prost Hall’s craft bier garten or enjoy an expanded collection of wine in the WineGarten at the Heidelberg Beer Hall.

After drinking a few hefeweizens at the bier garten, enjoy delicious bratwurst, some sauerkraut and tons of other authentic German foods from local vendors such as Schmidt’s, DK Diner, Juergens’s Backeri and much more.  

If you are looking to test your strength, we recommend participating in the annual stone throwing competition – weighing in at over 100 pounds – as well as the highly anticipated Schmidt’s Stuff the Puff creampuff eating contest. Other events include a stein hoisting contest, children’s parade and a yodeling contest.

While it may not be as large as Germany’s, Schmidt’s, the Ohio State Fairgrounds and Columbus Expo Center bring you the next best thing with the 2017 installment of Schmidt’s Oktoberfest.

Did we also mention admission to this event is totally free? For more info on the event, please visit www.columbusoktoberfest.com.

Rocky Falleti is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.