Everything we saw at Bockfest 2026

Bockfest is over, and once again the people of Queen City filled their mugs with as much bock beer as they could handle.

The 34th annual Bockfest took place March 6-9. The event is a celebration of Cincinnati’s brewing heritage and of bock beer.

What’s Bockfest all about anyway?

Well, bock beer is a type of beer traditionally brewed for special occasions, although German monks would drink it during Lent as a substitute for food. And if you’ve been living in Cincinnati long enough, you know our city is awash in both German and Catholic traditions. Compared to other beers, it’s complex, hardy, traditionally has a higher nutritional content than most beer and typically has a higher alcohol content.

The Hudepohl-Schoenling Brewing Company created Bockfest in 1993 to celebrate the release of Christian Moerlein Bock. It has since grown into one of the city’s biggest festivals—with a lot of goats!

Click through to see photos from the weekend’s events from Ben Gastright.