CLINTON COUNTY, Ohio — With the intent of blending small-town charm with the annual Bavarian-themed festival that spans back to 1810 in its native Germany, Oktoberfests will be held this month in downtown Wilmington and New Vienna.
The Village of New Vienna’s ninth-annual Oktoberfest will take place this weekend on Friday and Saturday.
Starting at 5 p.m. on Friday, New Vienna’s Oktoberfest begins with a traditional “tapping” of the keg, and DJs playing traditional polka music and modern hits, followed by live music provided by Vinyl! Countdown Cincinnati at 6 p.m.. There will also be games, food, a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle.
Saturday’s festivities in New Vienna start at 11 a.m. with DJs playing modern hits and polka music and sign up for the Lil’ Mr. and Miss Oktoberfest competition, which will run from noon until 2 p.m. There will also be a beer stein-holding contest, a hot dog eating contest, and the largest chicken dance in Clinton/Highland/Fayette counties. At 6 p.m., live music will be provided by American Rebels.
Wilmington’s family-friendly beer and brat festival will be held on the last weekend of September in downtown Wilmington.
With a day’s worth of events, including beer, brats, games, and activities for adults and kids alike, the annual festival celebrates the centuries-old festival on Sept. 28 from 1 p.m. to 11 a.m.
The event kicks off at 1 p.m. with kids activities from 1 to 5 p.m. and a DJ from 1 to 6 p.m. outside on Sugartree Street. Then, the evening’s events move inside with The Menus kicking off the festivities with live music at 7 p.m. inside the Eagles Fraternal Order of 1224, located at 141 E. Sugartree St.
The daytime events will also feature a kids and adults weiner toss. There will also be wiener dog races, a Stein Holding competition–known as Masskrugstemmen in the native German–and a costume contest, with the winner announced at 5 p.m., so break out the lederhosen, and brush off your best German-Austrian accent.
The evening’s events will feature live music provided by The Menus, a Cincinnati-based rock cover band that has been playing music for 40 years in the Ohio region. There will also be Games of Chance from 6 to 11 p.m. in the Eagles Fraternal Order of 1224 for guests.
Originating in Bavaria, a region in Southern Germany bordering Czechia and Austria along the Alps, the capital of which is Munich, Oktoberfest has been celebrated since 1810. The original purpose of the festival, held on October 12, 1810, was a celebration of the marriage of the crown prince of Bavaria, who later became King Louis I, to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. This was in a time before German unification when the country was a collection of independent states.
Oktoberfest has been celebrated in The United States since 1961, when it was celebrated on October 13, 14, and 15 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Since then it has been celebrated across the U.S. by both citizens with German ancestry and those who do not, as a German/Bavarian-themed fall festival typically near the beginning of October or at the end of September.
For a full list of the day’s events, and more information please see Wilmington’s annual Oktoberfest website at: mainstreetwilmington.com/oktoberfest. For more information on New Vienna’s Oktoberfest, please see their Facebook page at facebook.com/newviennaoktoberfest.
