Oktoberfest season is here, and Wichita will soon be filled with bierocks and biergartens
Oktoberfest season has returned, and over the coming weeks, locals will be able to find places where lederhosen and polka music will be the norm.
Several restaurants, bars and venues put on big parties every year. Most are family friendly. Most feature schnitzel and bierocks. Nearly all include some type of German beer swilling.
A few Oktoberfest celebrations are on tap for this weekend, and several more are on the way. Here’s a guide:
Oktoberfest at Prost, 2721 E. Central: This popular German restaurant is about to launch its annual authentic Oktoberfest party, which turns the courtyard at Revolutsia, the shipping container mall where the restaurant operates, into a German biergarten.
The event will include dancing, German food, games and imported German Weihenstephaner Festbier. The international brand ambassador for the beer — Matthias Ebner from Bavaria — will be at the festival to chat with attendees and to tap the ceremonial keg.
The party also will include a couple of eating contests, including one where competitors will be challenged to eat perhaps the hottest gummy bear ever invented. The last person to take a drink of milk wins.
The party starts on Wednesday with a “corporate night” designed for networking, and several businesses have already reserved tables, said Prost co-owner Austin English. The party continues from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday. The restaurant will close for regular dining at 2 p.m. both Wednesday and Thursday. It will be closed for regular dining all day on Friday and Saturday, when the party will run from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Admission is $40 for one day or $45 for two days and includes a glass stein filled with a liter of beer. People who bring the same stein back the next day can get in for $5 and fill their steins back up for $14. Tickets are available in advance at eventbrite.com
Oktoberfest and Pumpkin Patch at Elderslie Farm, 3501 E. 101st St. North, Kechi: It’s normally known for summer blackberries and fine dining, but this weekend, Elderslie Farm’s owners are putting on their own Oktoberfest. The two-day event will last from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and will include live music, a German/fall menu, horse-drawn carriage rides, cider pressing, a pumpkin patch, lawn games, apple bobbing and more. Local vendors also will be there selling items. Fine dining will be closed on Friday and Saturday.
Tickets are $10 in advance at eventbrite.com, free for ages 3 and under. Tickets at the door are $15. Food, beverages (including beer), pumpkins and merchandise are extra. For a full schedule, visit eldersliefarm.com/events/oktoberfest
Oktoberfest at River City Brewing, 150 N. Mosley: This downtown brewery started its Oktoberfest observation on Monday and will continue it through Sunday. The owners are dedicating the week to German beer and food.
They’ll also be replacing all the beers on their tap system, except for their flagship beers, with German-style beers including German pilsner, festbier, kolsch, hefeweizen and more. The food menu will include a German sausage board, a brat burger and a German sausage dish.
Oktoberfest at Brass Taproom, 614 S. Tyler: The bar attached to Side Pockets in west Wichita is putting on an Oktoberfest party from 6 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3, that will include a special food and drink menu, games, prizes, custom mugs and giveaways. Traditional German Oktoberfest clothing is suggested. Admission is free.
Public’s 12th Birthday plus Oktoberfest: This open-air bar is celebrating its birthday on Saturday, Oct. 5, along with an Oktoberfest party that starts at noon. Brats and bierocks will be added to the menu, and party goers can get a stein with a beer ticket package. The event will also include music from Pretend Friend from 2 to 4 p.m., from Casey Abay from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and from Monterey Jack starting at 8 p.m. Admission is free until 8 p.m., when the bar will charge a $10 cover for the Monterey Jack show.
Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church Oktoberfest: This church always throws an Oktoberfest party, and this year’s is on Oct. 5. It will feature live bands from noon to 10 p.m., an all-day inflatables park for kids, keg races and a costume contest for adults, German beers on tap and a menu of sauerkraut balls, brats and more. Admission is free but kids who want to play on the inflatables must have a $10 pass. Adults who want to participate in the contests should register at blessedsacramentwichita.com
Art & Ale Oktoberfest Pop Up Market at Nortons Brewing Company, 125 N. St. Francis: This downtown brewery is hosting the fall edition of Art & Ale, which will have a Halloween/Oktoberfest theme. It will last from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6 and will feature lots of artists selling their goods in an open-air market. St. Francis will be closed for the event, which also will include live bands and food and drink specials. Admission is free.
Bloctoberfest at Naftzger Park: Xclusive Event’s annual Oktoberfest event is scheduled for 4 to 10 p.m. Oct. 11 and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 12 in Naftzger Park, 102 S. St Francis in downtown Wichita. The event will include a vendor market on Saturday, wiener dog races, a dad bod contest, a stein hoist, yard games, food trucks and booze trucks. Admission is free, but a beer fest that will last from 6 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 11 requires a ticket that’s $60 in advance and
$70 at the door. For tickets and a full even schedule, visit ictbloktoberfest.com
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