The Vienna community is bringing European culture right to Church Street through Oktoberfest. Located on Church Street the annual celebration brings German culture and activities right to our town.
Oktoberfest is an autumn festival that originated in Munich, Germany and is usually held at the end of September through the beginning of October. It is primarily known for drinking beer and dressing up. Women wear plaid dresses and aprons called Dirndl, and men wear leather trousers called Lederhosen. The traditional Oktoberfest consists of many activities bringing members of the community together such as: keg rolling, pretzel toss, dancing the polka, beer garden parties and stein races.
The 15th annual Vienna Oktoberfest on Oct. 5th was held right on Church Street, hosted by the Vienna Business Association (VBA), from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s open to all ages; however, the beer gardens were off limits to those under 21-years-old. There were many activities for the family including food, music and booth vendors. Oktoberfest is a great place to meet new people, try new foods, try out local businesses and learn more about the community.
“This year, for the first time, I’m here at Oktoberfest as a vendor myself!” Jen Groves said. “As a certified Physician Assistant for Skin Clique, I am grateful to the Vienna Business Association for allowing me space to offer skin care consults, medical grade products and promote my local concierge medical aesthetic practice. I received so much support from our amazing local community.”
The Vienna Oktoberfest hosts around 20,000 to 30,000 attendees yearly, with the highlight of the event for adults being the large beer and wine garden. This year however, the focus for the event was to feature more local vendors such as Caboose Brewing Company, Hawk and Griffin, Norm’s Beer and Wine, Settle Down Easy Brewing and the Vienna Vintner. This is because these small breweries and distributors have grown considerably over the past year.
“The beer garden is really fun to work at but really hard to work. There are a lot of lines, and if you’re not on your A-game, then you will move slow. Working here, though, may be a work out, but it’s worth it to see the culture of the traditional Oktoberfest being brought to Vienna with highlighting a beer garden and traditional German food.” Fabricio G.L. a beer vendor for Craft and Cellar distributing, said.
Aside from the alcohol, there is something provided for all ages. There were free children’s activities including inflatables, a petting zoo, games and entertainment on the Town Green. Additionally, spread out down Church Street were large vendor marketplaces that included food vendors representing global cuisines, a business expo, artisan market and wellness expo. The live entertainment and music were held on three stages: the Beer Garden, Town Green and Center Street. All food, drink, music and vendors came from local distributors and businesses promoting small businesses within Vienna.
Oktoberfest continues to provide Madison students and families opportunities to support family small businesses as well as Madison clubs and organizations. The Madison crew team this year volunteered and ran bouncy houses and other activities. Many booth owners run small businesses, and Oktoberfest provides an outlet for promoting themselves. Some vendors that have gotten big through this festival have been charitable organizations like Rustic Love Vienna, Family Preservation Strengthening Services and up and coming small businesses just like Skin Clique organized by Jen Groves.
“These events define our town. Vienna is a joyful place, a beautiful community of diverse and vibrant backgrounds, a community of service minded people, newcomers and oldtimers, youth and aged, all coming together to celebrate the place we call home,” Groves said.