Munich band to boost Oktoberfest
A BAND direct from the Oktoberfest in Munich will be the headline act when the German Club in Lorraine stages its equivalent and hugely popular annual celebration of beer hall revelry from October 26 to 29.
Now in its 48th year, the shout-out for young and old patrons to come along is to “Unleash your inner German”.
Dubbed the biggest Oktoberfest in South Africa, it is the 10th largest outside of Germany which usually attracts crowds of between 7 000 and 8 000 party-goers.
The German Club manager Thomas Fuchs – who has been managing the club for the past 20 years – said when he started out at the club, they had only had a 450m² tent, and now they had a 3 000m² tent.
“Back in the day we used to serve from our internal bar tables and now we’ve got a 60-metre bar.”
Club chairman Mathias Schmidt said when they introduced bands from Germany, he had seen the festival receive a boost.
“It gave us a boost because that was something new and it brought more life into the Oktoberfest and every year it’s gotten bigger and better,” Schmidt said.
The headlining act this year is a 12-piece band called the Oompah Band, Harthauser Musikanten straight from the Oktoberfest in Munich.
The event kicks off officially with the corporate evening on October 26 and Oktoberfest this year introduces a special senior’s lunch on Saturday from 11am to 4pm.
Partnering with Blunden Tours to provide shuttle services, Fuchs said: “We’re encouraging everyone to stay safe on the roads by catching our specially provided shuttle buses to and from the festivities”.
Visitors can look forward to traditional German cuisine, dirndl-clad waitresses and, of course, thousands of litres of beer.