The 44th-annual Oktoberfest Zinzinnati returns Sept. 20-22, bringing over 575,000 people from across the Greater Cincinnati area to downtown’s Second and Third streets for a wild weekend of German music, dancing, traditions and plenty of food and beer.Â
The festival is the largest Oktoberfest celebration in the United States and has a strong focus on culinary offerings, featuring authentic German bites from over 30 vendors.Â
And apparently, yet not surprisingly, Cincinnatians consume a monstrous, even impressive, amount of food at the annual event. And a weird amount of pickled pigs’ feet.
According to the Oktoberfest Zinzinnati’s website, data was surveyed by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber from the 2017 festival to reveal just how much of the following foods are ingested:
- 87,542Â metts
- 80,500Â bratwurst
- 64,000Â sauerkraut balls
- 56,250Â sausages
- 24,640Â potato pancakes
- 23,004Â soft pretzels
- 20,000Â cream puffs
- 16,002Â strudel
- 6,000Â jumbo pickles
- 3,600Â pounds of sauerkraut
- 1,875Â pounds of German potato salad
- 702Â pounds Limburger cheese
- 700Â pig tails
- 400Â pickled pigs’ feet
That’s (kind of) nearly a quarter million wieners.Â
Oktoberfest may be right around the corner, but if you can’t wait to get your German food fix, here’s a round-up of the best spots for wurst in the Queen City.Â
This article appears in Sep 11-18, 2019.

