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Cincinnati Mayor, Aftab Pureval, has proclaimed Friday, Sept. 16 a half-day holiday in Cincinnati.
“Nobody else in the country does Oktoberfest as big and as proudly as we do here in Cincinnati,” said Mayor Pureval. “And we should continue to recognize its importance to our community and local businesses.”
While not an official half-day holiday, with this proclamation, Oktoberfest Zinzinnati® and Mayor Aftab Pureval encourage the Cincinnati region to come downtown early and celebrate on Friday, Sept. 16 starting at 11 a.m.
“We’re opening up the event this year with some of our fan-favorite festivities,” said Maddie Regan, vice president of events and experiences at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. “We hope the city and region can take advantage of the half-day holiday and make their way down to this amazing Cincinnati tradition.”
Oktoberfest Zinzinnati festivities will begin with the Running of the Wieners, Friday, Sept. 16 at 12 p.m. at the Turfway Park Main Stage at Second and Elm Streets. In this event, 100 dachshunds will don costumes and compete to determine Zinzinnati’s fastest wiener dog.
It will be followed at 2 p.m by the Gemütlichkeit (Goodwill) Games. This annual event features local media personalities competing in stein carrying and barrel rolling competitions. The festivities continue on Saturday, Sept. 16, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Oktoberfest Zinzinnati has a lineup of more than 130 different varieties of beer and alcoholic beverages from national and local breweries.
“We’re excited to offer a beer list with a variety of options and flavors,” said Spencer Mapes, lead event manager for Oktoberfest Zinzinnati. “Along with our official beer, Samuel Adams, local favorites like Madtree, Rhinegeist, and Urban Artifact will be participating in the event.”
Food also plays a big part in Oktoberfest, and this year, more than 30% of the vendors are new to the event. Patrons will enjoy choosing from more than 150 food options, both traditional along with new twists on favorite dishes.
Of course, Oktoberfest also includes a diverse entertainment line-up, with more than 30 acts ranging from traditional German music to indie rock appearing on multiple stages all weekend long.
Get all the details at https://oktoberfestzinzinnati.com/food/.