The Denver Oktoberfest

It is the 50th anniversary of the Denver Oktoberfest and we decided to go to the opening weekend of this popular event. The Oktoberfest festival takes place over two weekends and draws very large crowds enjoying German beer, food, and folk music. Many of the people who attend Oktoberfest dress in traditional German clothing making it even more festive. In addition to the beer and food, there are also a variety of games available to play, such as keg bowling.

People Getting into the Spirit of Oktoberfest
Bratwurst and Latkes
Listening to Folk Musi
Keg Bowling

There are several types of tickets that you can purchase at the event or in advance, but we’d definitely recommend purchasing tickets in advance as the lines can be quite long. Other than for crafts and merchandise, you must have tickets to get beer, food, and play certain games as cash is not accepted. We chose a ticket option that included a 34 oz souvenir mug with a couple of refills. We had both a hefeweisen and darker Oktoberfest from Spaten. It is definitely important to pace yourself in order not to overdrink and turn a good time into a bad time.

Crowds at the Stein Hoisting Contest
Apple Strudel
Traditional Clothing and Beer Steins
Stein Hoisting

Obviously there is plenty of German food available including different types of bratwurst, currywurst, schnitzle, pretzels, latkes, and apple strudel. We had bratwurst with sauerkraut accompanied with potato pancakes, called latkes, one with sour cream and the other with apple sauce. Later we got a chicken, paprika schnitzel with spätzle as well as apple strudel. With drinking 68 ounces of beer, eating food was an absolute must. The food was really good and definitely reminded us of our time living in Germany.

Bratwurst on the Grill
Getting Our Stein Filled
Crowds Gathering
Paprika Chicken

One of the most popular games was the stein hoisting contest, where people attempt to hold two steins straight out for as long as possible. It was certainly popular for people to watch as well as to participate and having done it in the past, we know that it is extremely difficult. Keg bowling was another popular game with lots of people cheering on those who attempted to knock over kegs with another keg on wheels.

Pretzels to Feed a Crowd
Souvenir Steins
Giant Bobblehead
Beer Hall Tent

Different musicians play throughout the day, all of them playing festive German folk music. People dance and sing along with the various bands that play, obviously participating more and more as the beer continued to flow. In addition to the people dressing up in traditional clothing, there were also plenty of dogs dressed up as well. Going to the Denver Oktoberfest is certainly a fun experience that we would highly recommend. We had a wonderful time enjoying everything that the festival had to offer.

Busier as the Day Went Along
Crashing Kegs

 

Oktoberfest Celebrations

Although the official Oktoberfest takes place in Munich, celebrations can be found all around the world. Any excuse to get gather, drink beer, eat food, and dance to traditional folk music will likely draw a large crowd. There are several places in Colorado where you can go to an Oktoberfest, most notably is in Breckenridge, but there is a very large one in Denver as well as one in Colorado Springs. We went to our first Oktoberfest back in 2015 and had an absolutely wonderful time.

Pretzel Stand
Young Dancer
Dancing to the Band

We had a very nice Hefe-Weizen wheat beer as well as an excellent Marzen amber ale from Paulaner Brewer, who are from Munich.  We needed the cold beers after literally kicking our heels up with the dance troupe, The Denver Kickers.  We have a lot of respect for them, all of whom are family members, as they danced the entire day and evening, entertaining the crowd.  That certainly can’t be easy, especially wearing lederhosen as warm as it was that day.  In addition to the dancing, there was plenty of music by The Prime Time Band featuring Klaus.

Pete and Dona with the Dancers Enjoying Some Beer
Beer Steins
Beer Mug Table

If we had tried all of the different food that was offered, we would have probably put on ten pounds.  The food that we did eat was delicious, especially the bratwurst with sauerkraut.  In addition to brats, there was Weiner Schnitzel, giant pretzels, German chocolate cake, and a variety of sweets.  Along with the beer, we definitely had our fill of good food.

Sweets
Bratwurst
Weiner Schnitzel Vendor

It was a great day of dancing, drinking, eating, and people watching.  Regardless of your heritage or where you live, going to Oktoberfest is well worth the time.  It is a great event for families as well as for couples like us.  We really had a lot fun, made some new friends, and even learned a new dance, all in all, a wonderful day.

Cooking Some Brats
Traditional Folk Dance
Smoked Salmon