Oktoberfest 2017
German Gemütlichkeit, celebrating 32 years in Cape Coral
It started with a cultural celebration. But the Cape Coral Oktoberfest is one of Southwest Florida’s biggest fall traditions, each year bringing thousands of us to the German American Social Club grounds on Pine Island Road. This season marks 32 years of the Cape Coral Oktoberfest. Billed as Munich in Cape Coral, Oktoberfest is about community, music, dancing, family, refreshments, food and fun, organizers say, or German Gemütlichkeit, translating to mean good cheer/sense of belonging.
This year’s Oktoberfest―Oct. 20-22 and Oct. 27-29―will offer three stages, two dance floors and two bands imported from Germany. There is a festival tent, an outside biergarten, vendors, exhibits and amusements targeted to families. Oktoberfest is a Bavarian festival that celebrates a number of things. At its center, Oktoberfest is about people, or a Volkfest. Cape Coral’s German-Americans formed a social club in the 1960s, purchased the land on which the club sits. Details are at capecoraloktoberfest.com.