Giulia Gutzwiller, Newswire Intern

The annual and highly anticipated Oktoberfest Zinzinnati was held downtown from last Thursday through Sunday. From lively musical performances to traditional German cuisine, people of all ages experienced the various wonders German culture has to offer. 

As the largest Oktoberfest celebration in the country and second largest in the world behind the celebration in Munich, Germany. Cincinnati Oktoberfest regularly draws in hundreds of thousands of festivalgoers each year. 

 Because crowds have continued to increase annually, Oktoberfest Zinzinnati was held at Sawyer’s Point and Yeatman’s Cove this year. This new venue made room for even larger crowds and created a completely different atmosphere.

Oktoberfest is well known for its selection of German food. Long lines formed in front of stands serving bratwurst, schnitzel, pretzels, sauerkraut, and other German delicacies. There were also myriad non-German food options such as Catch-a-Fire Pizza, Crumbl Cookies and Graeter’s Ice Cream.

The main attraction of the celebration is the variety of beer they have to offer. This year, there were over 25 different breweries represented at Oktoberest beer stands, with Samuel Adams sponsoring the event. Many of the stands served traditional German beers such as hefeweizens, dunkels, märzens, festbiers and lagers. 

The four day celebration featured a wiener dog race, numerous musical performances of Polka songs, and Cincinnatians wearing traditional chicken hats and German outfits.

Xavier’s proximity to downtown Cincinnati gave many students the opportunity to spend their weekend indulging in various activities at Oktoberfest. On Saturday, the Office of Student Involvement provided buses to take students to and from the event. 

Although Oktoberfest has become a global sensation, it originated as the celebration of marriage between King Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in Munich, Germany in October 1810. Due to the significant presence of German culture and heritage in Southwest Ohio, Cincinnati began its own Oktoberfest celebration in 1976. 

First year special education major Ava Konecki called her first Oktoberfest Zinzinnati experience was memorable: 

“I really enjoyed seeing people all dressed up in their outfits and hearing the polka music because it really contributed to the fun environment,” Konecki said. “I’ll have to go back next year because I feel like there was still a lot I didn’t get to see.”