Oktoberfest expected to draw 35,000 people
Lederhosen aren't required for those attending the Columbus Oktoberfest this weekend, but a taste for German food might be.
The ceremonial tapping of the first keg on Friday will usher in three days of Bavarian merriment at the Ohio Expo Center, where visitors can dance a polka and eat schnitzel under the vaulted ceilings of fairground pavilions.
“Everybody likes a party,” said Geoff Schmidt, whose family produces the 52-yearold festival.
"And the Germans know how to party."
The event — founded in 1966 by Geoff's father, George, and other members of the German Village Business Association — is Columbus' longestrunning Oktoberfest. The German Village Society voted to cancel it in 2009, but the Schmidt family, of Schmidt's Restaurant und Sausage Haus, took over as the sole producers.
Through Sunday, the 2017 Oktoberfest is expected to draw 35,000 guests.
A 4-mile Brat Trot, to feature 500 runners,
will precede the 7 p.m. Friday keg-tapping.
Afterward, guests can enjoy both traditional German music and contemporary tunes on two stages, 100 artsand-crafts vendors in the "marketplatz" and ethnic food and imported beer.
A new dish will be apple rings, a German dessert consisting of apple slices that are battered, deep-fried and covered in a bourbon-caramel sauce. Also added: a "silent disco" where guests can dance to music on wireless headphones.
Competitions include German games such as a cream-puff-eating contest, a beer steinholding contest and a stone toss.
Youngsters can enjoy themselves at the "kinderplatz," where jugglers, face-painters and bounce houses provide entertainment. Sunday is especially geared toward children with a parade beginning at 4 p.m. and other activities planned by KidsLinked.