For Flathead Valley residents, autumn means exchanging T-shirts for sweaters, and barbecues for canning equipment. But for a few days in Whitefish, the seasonal shift also promises bratwurst, lederhosen and plenty of beer.
The 2nd Annual Great Northwest Oktoberfest celebration is headed back to Depot Park, encompassing two weekends – Sept. 29 through Oct. 2 and Oct. 7 through Oct. 9.
Oktoberfest is a German tradition rooted in Munich. The festival is more than 200 years old, originating as a German royalty wedding party to which everyone in town was invited.
Munich now draws about 6 million visitors every October who drink about 5 million liters of beer, according to the city’s website.
The Whitefish Chamber of Commerce is hosting the local event, and executive director Kevin Gartland said Northwest Montana held its own at last year’s Oktoberfest, consuming about 65 kegs of beer and roughly 3,000 brats.
Attendance was also unexpectedly high, Gartland said, facilitating the need for two weekends of German-inspired fun.
“Last year, on Friday and Saturday we couldn’t put anyone else in the tent,” Gartland said. “We were at capacity.”
During the festival’s other days the tent was also near capacity, he added. With attendance expected to increase 15 to 20 percent, the choice was either moving the event from downtwon Whitefish or tacking on another weekend.
Gartland said the chamber preferred to keep the celebration local, as it helps bring tourists into town during the shoulder season.
“It was a great success last year,” he said. “It was probably two to three years ahead of what I thought it would be.”
Beer is a major part of the Oktoberfest tradition, and this year’s selection will include Great Northern Oktoberfest, Frog Hop and Black Star from the Great Northern Brewing Company.
The Warsteiner brewery will provide traditional German brews, including Pilsner Dunkel, Oktoberfest and Konig Ludwig Weiss.
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Visiting from Munich, Germany, Guenther MoLer dances across the large dance floor with his wife Rosemareie MoLer during the first Great Northwest Oktoberfest in Whitefish last year. |
Aside from the magnetic properties of bratwurst, pretzels, schnitzel, barley and hops, Gartland said Oktoberfest’s many unique activities – including dachshund races, waitress races, stein-holding competitions and log-sawing races – help bring in crowds.
“It’s kind of like ‘Minute to Win It,’ Bavarian style,” he said.
The music is also a major draw, he noted. This year’s bands include Europa, which consists of two German and one Austrian member.
“They are huge; they play from September to October all over the country,” Gartland said.
The Western Senators, a Canadian group, is scheduled to play during the festival’s second weekend. Gartland said they were immensely popular with last year’s crowd.
Local group the Bavarian Echoes will also provide classic polkas and oom-pah music during the festival.
The first weekend of events will begin on Thursday, Sept. 29, with Locals Night, meaning Flathead Valley residents avoid the $3 gate fee. There will also be special contests, the mayoral toast and tapping of the kegs and the first night of Europa’s music.
Friday, Sept. 30, is the grand opening, which will include a short parade from the Great Northern Brewing Company to the festival’s tent, led by a wagon with beer barrels. Anyone can join in the procession, Gartland said.
Events will include the first qualifying round of the keg-hurling competition, a brat-eating contest dubbed “the wurst minute of your life,” and Bavarian sing-alongs.
Saturday, Oct. 1 is kids’ day, with a lineup including the chicken dance, dachshund drag races, music and arts and crafts.
The schedule for Oct. 2 features the ever-popular waitress races. Gartland said that despite not yet advertising for the races, he has already received calls from competitors asking to sign up.
The second weekend will have many of the same activities, though Sunday, Oct. 9 is Senior Day and will also feature the traditional 5k volksmarch. It also falls during a Canadian holiday weekend, Gartland said, and was planned to draw in participants from the north.
Bringing tourists during the fall is an important goal for Oktoberfest, but Gartland said it is also about Flathead Valley residents enjoying their community.
“It just worked out last year because the timing was right; locals have time to kick back and enjoy themselves between the heavy seasons,” Gartland said.
Visitors and Oktoberfest participants are encouraged to visit www.whitefishoktoberfest.com for a complete schedule of events and a food menu.