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Celebrate at these 5 York Oktoberfests


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The original Oktoberfest celebration in Munich, Germany officially kicks off this weekend. And while we totally wish we were attending, a trip across the globe is just not going to happen for the majority of us. The good news is there are plenty of Oktoberfest-inspired events all across the York area starting with a weeklong downtown event kicking off this Saturday.

Interested in attending one of the local celebrations? Check out our list below and get ready to indulge in some seriously delicious German-inspired eats, sips and entertainment.

Oktoberfest York Week

Start your Oktoberfest fun this Sunday Sept. 18-24 at York’s very first Oktoberfest York Week providing locals with a week's worth fun and German-themed menu items at more than 15 participating downtown eateries, catering to all tastes and budgets.

“The restaurants involved vary from a market stand at Central Market to fine dining from the Left Bank,” said Meagan Feeser, chair of the York City Independent Restaurant Association

Restaurants will have foods ranging from sausage and sauerkraut croquettes to cheesy potato beer soup, Heinrich's Bavarian Brötchen, Obatzda Dip, tasty beer and wine, and so much more.

Prices vary by item as well as restaurant, and range from $2 to $16.

To get more information on individual item pricing, and to see which restaurants are participating, be sure to visit: www.rwyork.com/oktoberfest

For more information on the event and for updates be sure to check out their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/events/814461175355811/

Oktoberfest York Festival

All Oktoberfest York Festival tickets have officially sold out as of Wednesday.

The one-day event, taking place at Cherry Lane Park this Saturday Sept. 17, will have live music from The Alpenlaenders, a traditional German festival band who will be supplying authentic folk and dance music from the Alps including yodeling and alphorn entertainment.

“There may be additional tickets available at the door, but it sort of depends on what capacity looks like that day,” said Meagan Feeser, Chair of the York City Independent Restaurant Association.

Feeser says people who are interested in the event can continue to check social media pages to see if there is a chance to purchase tickets.

“We limited tickets to 200, not knowing what capacity was going to look like—it’s not a huge park and there is some construction going on, so part of it is closed off. Being a first time event, we didn’t want to make it a free for all,” said Feeser. “We limited tickets to see what 200 people looks like at Cherry Lane and see if there’s enough beer, food, etc. and take that into account for future events.”

People who have already purchased their tickets are encouraged to bring cash for the bar to keep things moving quickly and will need to check in to get their wristband to enjoy the one-day event.

Admission to the event is $5 and will serve as a donation to the York City Independent Restaurant Association. Once inside the event, food and drinks will be a pay-as-you-go.

For more information and to keep updated on potential last-minute ticket availability visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/YorkCityDining

Yorktoberfest

Not exactly a traditional Oktoberfest event, but definitely a beer and wine fest with a variety of drinks offering samples of more than 60 beers from 28 different breweries. In addition to beer, there will be wine from 13 wineries, plus local bites prepared by food trucks.

“It won’t be a traditional Oktoberfest in the sense that you go in and the Alpenlaenders are playing and people are throwing coins at the stage,” said Matthew Davis, event organizer and co-founder at Crocodile Dog Marketing. “We designed this event so that the wine and beer are together, which is the big difference between our event and others. When you go into the event, if you have a beer ticket, and someone else has a beer ticket, you are not separated, everything all in one general area. You get to enjoy the whole day together which I think a lot of people will enjoy.”

The event will offer approximately 42 styles of beers, and each winery participating in the event will bring 10 of their best selling wines for attendees to sample, with the option to buy and take home their favorite bottles.

In addition to drinks and fairground food trucks, there will be live music entertainment, which will be announced in the weeks leading up to the event.

Yorktoberfest will be held at the York Expo Center at 334 Carlisle Ave. on Oct. 15 from noon to 5 p.m.

Most tickets are eligible for a $5 discount if you buy them before Oct. 8.

For tickets and more information visit:yorktoberfest.com/ or Facebook, www.facebook.com/Yorktoberfest/.

Glen Rocktoberfest

Local and national fall seasonal craft beers, German food, and the wide range of entertainment are just one of the few reasons to attend the Glen Rock Mill Inn's Rocktoberfest on Oct. 1 at Ruins Park.

Now, in its 6th year back, Glen Rocktoberfest has grown to be much more than a beer fest — though there's plenty of that, too. Serving 11 different beer samples, alongside Spatzel (aka German dumplings), brats and sauerkraut, pulled pork and more, the options are endless.

In addition to traditional eats and beer sampling, attendees can expect continuous entertainment throughout the day on two separate stages. The outstanding roster of area musicians includes Josh Dominick, 3 Dollar Suit, Shane Haddaway, Caution!, Perseverance Rise and Vinyl Souls.

“This is really just a celebration of fall seasonal beer, German food, all the traditional things you think about when you think about Oktoberfest, it’s a great venue, too,” said Cindy Duzan, owner of Glen Rock Mill Inn. “If you’ve never been to Ruins Park before, it’s really an interesting venue — the venue is made up of repurposed remains of an old furniture factory, making it the perfect unique location for an event like this and I think people will really enjoy it,” said Duzan.

General admission to the event is from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and tickets can be purchased at the door for $10. General admission tickets include a souvenir mug, wristband and 3 beer sample tickets.

Join in for an extra hour of fun starting at noon when you purchase VIP tickets in advance online up until the day before the event (Sept. 30). VIP ticket holders will receive a souvenir mug, a wristband and a total of 5 beer sample tickets, two more than general admission.

If you’re not into craft beer, but want to attend the event with friends and family, the entrance fee is $1 for a wristband to get in.

For more information and VIP tickets visit: www.glenrockmillinn.com

John Wright's Oktoberfest

John Wright’s Oktoberfest throws one of the most authentic Oktoberfest celebrations in the area, serving some of the same beers you'll find in Germany, alongside bratwurst and knockwurst, homemade kraut, potato pancakes and other German classics.

As for entertainment, they keep that real, too, with German folk dancers including GTV Almrausch dance group from Philly and the Alpenrose Kindergruppe from Lancaster, an alphorn presentation, lawn games for both children and adults, yodeling contests, and traditional bands playing oompah music.

“It is very much the real German entertainment,” said Jim Switzenberg, director of operations at John Wright Restaurant. “The traditional German dance groups get people in the crowd involved to dance on stage with them, it’s truly an authentic German party.”

Switzenberg says attendees are encouraged to dress up in traditional clothing if they choose. “There’s a lot of people that are dressing up for it..it just makes everything more fun.”

“German Passport Admission” for the event is $40, which includes a commemorative beer mug that can gives unlimited refills all throughout the event. For everyone else, general admission is $20, which includes entertainment and one drink ticket. Kids are admitted for $10.

The event, now in its second year, will take place from noon to 6 p.m.on Oct. 9 at John Wright Restaurant at 234 N Front St. in Wrightsville.

For more information visit:https://www.facebook.com/events/741732285957799/

Tickets can be purchased at: https://www.universe.com/events/2nd-annual-jwr-oktoberfest-tickets-york-V3FBW9

Main Street Hanover Oktoberfest

Celebrate Hanover's second year of Oktoberfest by joining them for a sip and stroll style event around downtown Hanover businesses  from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 8. Enjoy samples of beers, wines, foods and exclusive deals around local shops and businesses.

“Ticket holders will get the chance to experience what’s in downtown Hanover, and visit various businesses that maybe they didn’t know about,” said Casi Brough, promotions committee chair. They’ll also get the chance to enjoy samples from local food establishments, wineries, and breweries like Miscreation and Something Wicked.”

Another great perk? Various local downtown boutiques and stores will have special deals going on during the event.

In addition to drinks, foods and shopping, live entertainment is expected throughout the event and a lineup of local performers will be announced in the coming weeks.

The event will start at 1 Center Square in Hanover and will go from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Patrons must be 21+ and IDs will be checked at wristband pick up.

For more information you can visit mainstreethanover.org/events/details/oktoberfest

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/events/918915111550845/