Glier's Goettafest Now Spans Two Weekends — and Two Northern Kentucky Cities

Glier's Goettafest is back, bringing all of the goetta-infused creations you never knew you needed to both Newport's Festival Park and Covington Plaza.

Jul 27, 2021 at 11:56 am
Glier's Goettafest take place July 29- Aug. 1 and Aug. 5-8 in Newport and Covington - Photo: Holden Mathis
Photo: Holden Mathis
Glier's Goettafest take place July 29- Aug. 1 and Aug. 5-8 in Newport and Covington

There are now two full weekends — and two separate locations — to get your goetta fix during Glier's Goettafest.

After skipping a year due to the pandemic, Glier's Goettafest is back, bringing all of the goetta-infused creations you never knew you needed to both Newport's Festival Park on the Levee and Covington Plaza on the riverfront for two weekends of fun and flavor. 

The event will span eight days — July 29- Aug. 1 and Aug. 5-8 — offering plenty of opportunities for folks to sink their teeth into creative concoctions using the Greater Cincinnati culinary staple. 

If you're not familiar with the fest's namesake, goetta is a sausage- and oat-based dish that has been consumed in the region since the 1800s. The dish was inspired by the German immigrants who settled in the area; they added grain to a mixture of meats to help stretch their pork and beef supply over multiple servings.

click to enlarge A sampling of goetta dishes at a former festival - Photo: Holden Mathis
Photo: Holden Mathis
A sampling of goetta dishes at a former festival

The annual Goettafest draws big crowds and features plenty of vendors slinging goetta-centric dishes (as well as non-goetta food items), live music and activities. 

Past Goettafest events have featured dishes like the deep fried goetta cheese coney, grilled goetta donut sandwich, goetta rangoon, ice cream with goetta sprinkles, goetta nacho mountains and more. 

You can view full menus at goettafest.com.

Vendors must follow the fest's strict 3-2-1 policy, which restricts dining options to three goetta-infused dishes, two non-goetta dishes and one dessert. "These rules draw the very best talent and ingenuity out of each participating vendor. Chefs not only get to flex their creative muscle, they get to showcase their specialties alongside other top professionals in the local food community," the Goettafest website reads.

In addition to food and music, there will be games like the goetta toss and a goetta vending machine filled with Glier's original, turkey, hot or bacon goetta.

The festival is free and open to the public. Hours are 5-11 p.m. July 29 and 30, noon-11 p.m. July 31, noon-9 p.m. Aug. 1 and 5-11 p.m. Aug. 5 and 6, noon-11 p.m. Aug. 7 and noon-9 p.m. Aug. 8.

For more information, visit goettafest.com

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