As I scoured around the waterfront at Sawyer Point for today’s Oktoberfest media preview, I grew frustrated with myself. They said there’s a two-story tower around here, so why can’t I find it? I thought. Then I rounded the corner near the pickleball courts, passed the still-ongoing festival construction, and laughed as I finally reached my destination. Wow, they weren’t kidding. That’s a two-story tower, alright.
This year’s marquee addition to Oktoberfest Zinzinnati — which begins this Thursday at 4 p.m. and carries on throughout the weekend — is a giant clock tower inspired by a traditional German glockenspiel, featuring a bar on the ground floor, a performance stage on the second, and a 31-foot-tall bell tower on top. Every hour, on the hour, performers will burst out of the stage like a human cuckoo clock to perform. Sometimes those performers might include a public figure, or a government official, or some other notable Cincinnatian.
Most of the design elements of the ‘Glockenspiel Stage’ were handcrafted, too. For example, the bells in the tower were 3D printed in such a way that they’d all sound different; the clock matches the one at the Cincinnati Museum Center, and the backdrop on the stage is full of small nods to the Queen City — like one of the houses on stage having a street number of #513 listed on the door.
“We thought about different traditions they hold in Munich, Germany, and there’s a giant clock tower in the center of town, and everyone gathers on the hour during Oktoberfest to celebrate the next hour of the day,” said Chelsea York, vice president of events and experiences at the Cincinnati Regional Chamber. “We figured, why not bring that tradition here to our Oktoberfest?”
It’s a clear indicator of how the Cincinnati Regional Chamber is going big for the 50th annual Oktoberfest Zinzinnati. The German festival is Cincinnati’s largest annual event, and the largest Oktoberfest in the world outside of the original in Munich.
For Amy Fitzgibbons, vice president of marketing for the Chamber, she says the city knew this year’s golden anniversary needed to be something special.
“I am not from Cincinnati, and I have learned so much just in the last four years I’ve been doing this event,” she said. “It’s really woven into the fabric of the city. People love it. People appreciate it. People look forward to it, and I don’t think you could replicate it literally anywhere else.”
This year’s festival isn’t solely notable for the giant stage, however —although it is quite the selling point.
The return of the “World’s Largest Chicken Dance” carries some surprises this year, although Fitzgibbons swore us to secrecy. (All we can tell you is that Bob Herzog of Local 12 fame will be leading this year’s special edition.) The Running of the Wieners has been moved to Sunday, given its status as one of the festival’s premier events.
This year’s fest has also introduced a sports zone, which is essentially a giant outdoor sports bar so Bengals and FC Cincinnati fans can watch their teams while at the festival, and a paid VIP experience that includes shaded seating, a souvenir mug, a dedicated bar, five free drinks, a free shot of Jägermeister and a free on-site meal from Schmidt’s.
The Gemütlichkeit Games once again feature local figures duking it out in various physical competitions, where you’ll see some CityBeat staffers trying and failing to complete a stein race. The Stein Hoisting Competition is back too, of course, and will be emceed by Evan Millward as attendees compete to go the longest without spilling their beer.
Speaking of beer, all that up above doesn’t even begin to cover the most important part of the festival: the food and drink. All your local German favorites — Fitzgibbons shouted out Servatii, Mick Noll’s, Schmidt’s and more — are here, alongside an all-new Graeter’s flavor and more brews than you can shake a spiral potato on a stick at.
Samuel Adams will present its special Oktoberfest Zinzinnati 50th Anniversary Lager, but that’s not all: over 20 breweries are participating, along with countless other vendors. Whether you’re looking for authentic German bier, a German-style lager, something a little more classic or anything in between, you’ll find it at this year’s fest. You can even buy a special stein from Rookwood Pottery.
“This year is really everything you know and love about Oktoberfest: biergartens, German food, potato pancakes, pretzels, sausages, brats, all of that,” York said. “It’s the festival at its best, and we invite people who haven’t been in a while to come back and experience the festival for the 50th and celebrate with us.”
Oktoberfest Zinzinnati runs at Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove from Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit the event’s official website.
