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Sunday Happenings
So, it’s finally October and the big fest in Munich is already winding down. If you’re one of the many of us who can’t just pick up and fly to Germany for the last four days of the official Oktoberfest, don’t fret. Many Americans think the beer party is actually in October, understandably, so there are still several fests to attend!
The 19th Annual Harpoon Octoberfest is this coming up this weekend, October 3rd and 4th. Besides lots of Harpoon beer, there will be real “German Oompa bands,” as they describe them, German Cake eating contests, which one might enter just to get a slice, and Chicken Dance contests. (I know, the last one seems out of place.)* The party starts Friday at 5pm and Saturday at 2pm at the Brewery, and experience urges us to tell you: get there early! For more info, click here.
Harvard Square is hosting its own, probably more family-friendly version of Oktoberfest on Sunday the 12th. The full title is “The 29th Annual Oktoberfest and Honk Festival,” so besides all the food and sidewalk sales there also will be politically minded, wildly attired wandering minstrels marching about the Square. Probably not traditional, but surely a sight to see. For more info, click here.
An alternative, if you’re not down with the noisy bands (Oompah or Honk), try a relaxing and undoubtedly delicious meal at Cambridge Common. On Tuesday the 14th they will cook a Berkshire Beer Dinner, featuring beers from the BBC matched with dishes that are already making us slobber, such as fire roasted pepper bisque, sausage and apple stuffed chicken, potato cakes, and even pumpkin cheesecake with fresh whipped cream. Oh man. It’s $39, but don’t kid yourself into thinking you’ll spend less at Harpoon’s fest. For more info, click here.
Photo by designer-wg.de, on Flickr, used with Creative Commons license. More slobbering after the jump!
If you feel like taking a little trip over Columbus day, lovely Newport, Rhode Island holds an Oktoberfest every year. It covers all three long-weekend days and from their website it seems like they take this German thing seriously. Tons of “Oompah” bands, a Beirgarten, and a 65-foot-long, 53,000-pound grill. Check out their website just for a picture of the thing. For more info, click here.
And if all else fails, just go to your friendly neighborhood liquor store, buy some Oktoberfest Märzen, and sit at home with your beer and some hot dogs… On second thought, you’d better get out there.
* Though this would seem to have little to do with the celebration of Crown Prince Ludwig’s marriage, since its creation in the 1970s The Chicken Dance has been a popular song of German heritage and a tradition at such festivals. That's as deep as our explanation can go.
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