A glockenspiel that rocks on the hour, polka bands rocking the festival, traditional Bavarian food to delight your tastebuds, and don't forget the beer! It's all part of the 11th Annual Cleveland Oktoberfest, Labor Day Weekend, Friday, September 4th, through Monday, September 7th, 2015 at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds in Berea.
The Cleveland Oktoberfest welcomes back Paulaner as the presenting sponsor of Northeast Ohio's largest annual outdoor ethnic festival. Founded in 1634, Paulaner's longstanding dedication to purity in brewing has made them the #1 selling Oktoberfest Bier in Germany, and one of only six breweries represented at the Munich Oktoberfest. Paulaner is also giving you another chance to win a trip for two to the 2016 Munich Oktoberfest - Enter to win onsite at the Cleveland Oktoberfest - presented by your neighborhood Giant Eagle.
When we say Rain or Shine, we mean it. We are excited to announce that new in 2015 is the "Paulaner Festival Tent" where festivities open with the official keg-tapping on Friday Evening while enjoying the sounds of traditional German Music. We've added the "Hacker-Pschorr Festival Tent" with full bar and the "Barley House VIP tent" with VIP Package Deals.
All ages will find much to do at the multi-cultural festival, with Wiener Dog Racing, 19 ethnically-diverse dancing groups, fireworks, puppet shows, sand sculpting, a Masskrugstemmen contest, hayrides, a Bavarian Shopping Village, polka lessons, educational seminars, and music, food and beer.
Festival Hours: Friday, 4 p.m. - midnight; Saturday and Sunday, noon - midnight; Monday, noon - 8 p.m.
Oktoberfest Admissions: Adults $12; children 12 and under are free. Individual Ticket Savings of $3 and VIP Package Deals available online at clevelandoktoberfest.com. Parking is free.
Complete Schedule of Events and Entertainment: www.clevelandoktoberfest.com
The event is produced by Berea Labor Day Oktoberfest, Inc., a not-for-profit organization.
BIER
What would Oktoberfest be without bier? This year 18 brewpubs from Cleveland, Cincinnati, Akron, and Columbus will compete for "Best Oktoberfest Microbrew." Come enjoy a wide variety of Bavarian and other crowd-pleasing frothy libations from the brewpubs, plus biers from Oktoberfest sponsors Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr.
"BEST OKTOBERFEST MICROBREW"
Raise your stein and see if you agree with the judges about the "Best Oktoberfest Microbrew." Official judging takes place Friday, but the People's Choice award will be decided Monday. Stop by the Paulaner Bier Garten to vote for your favorite.
Microbreweries Competing This Year: Great Lakes Brewery, Rocky River Brewing Company, Market Garden Brewery, Cornerstone Brewing Company, The Brew Kettle, Thirsty Dog Brewing Company, Buckeye Beer Engine, Lagerheads Brewing Co., Fat Head's Brewery, Buckeye Brewing Company, Willoughby Brewing Company, Christian Moerlein Brewery, Granite City Brewery, Nano Brew, Black Box Brewing Company, Portside Brewery, Platform Brewing Co. and Brick & Barrel Brewing Co.
FOOD
Oktoberfest's incredible selection of authentic German, Polish and Eastern European food options are sure to satisfy everyone. From schnitzel to sauerbraten to strudel, you'll find it all from these vendors: Der Braumeister (Men's Health top 20 bars), Balaton (Cleveland Scene's Best Hungarian Restaurant) and Das Schnitzel Haus (Cleveland Scene's Best German Restaurant), Schmidt's of Columbus, Seven Roses of Cleveland, Sterle's Slovenian Country House, Frank's Bratwurst of the West Side Market, Heini's Cheese Chalet, Schnitzels & Giggles, Sue's Pierogies, Fire & Ice, Transylvania Bakery, Hey Hey Bar & Grill, Bierkeller Pub (Sandusky) Ski's Home Cooking and Juergens Bakery. Don't miss our own food concession run by the accomplished and Cleveland's Own Chef Roberto.
MUSIC
Your toes will be tapping listening to music from rock 'n' roll tribute groups to traditional German and Bavarian musicians.
Traditional Musical Highlights Will Include: Grammy-nominated Alex Meixner, Crazy Chester, The Klaberheads, Deutscher Musik Verein, Fred Ziwich & His International Sound Machine, Cleveland Donauschwäbische Blaskapelle, Chardon Polka Band and many more. Rockin' Musical Tribute Band Highlights Will Include: The Paulaner Bier Garten will be rocking during the festival to the sounds of Hotel California (Eagles), Stone Pony (Bruce Springsteen), Night Fever (Bee Gees) along with The Spazmatics, Absolute Journey, The Diamond Project and AbbaMania.
FUN FOR THE KIDS
There will be plenty of activities to amuse children of any age: wiener dog racing, gingerbread house building, sand sculpting by champion Carl Jara, hayrides, inflatables, balloon artist and more. Kids can have their picture taken with Oktoberfest Mascot "Otto" the Wiener Dog. Fireworks display on Sunday Night. The Frisch Marionette Company will delight all with their mesmerizing, hand-crafted puppets with shows Saturday-Monday.
SHOPPING
Start your holiday shopping at Oktoberfest's Bavarian Shopping Village with its Official Cleveland Oktoberfest merchandise. Everything from beer steins to lederhosen and other German specialty items will be available. Crafty shoppers will want to stroll through the Art Market and Craft Show to see what is available from over 50 talented artisans.
EDUCATIONAL PAVILION
Learn more about German and Bavarian culture:
- Volkswagen Van Show featuring members of LEAKOIL
- Polka lessons taught by polka enthusiast Casey Karbowski
- Home brewing demonstrations and talks by local experts
- Euclid Beach Park Now exhibit featuring memorabilia from Cleveland's famous landmark
- And much more!
More info on Cleveland Oktoberfest
To enter the contest to win a pair of tickets to the Cleveland Oktoberfest, courtesy of ClevelandPeople.Com, fill out the form below. (Your address will only be used to mail you tickets if you are a lucky winner.)
