Go south young man for the real Oktoberfest and Gemütlichkeit

If you desire to participate in a real German style Oktoberfest, then I encourage you to come and visit the 53nd annual Richmond Oktoberfest. Over the years the festival organizers have always tried to present an authentic Oktoberfest, the kind you would expect if you visited Germany.

Make sure you have your lederhosen and dirndls ready because the Deutscher Sport Club and the Gesangverein (Singing Association of Virginia) are planning to celebrate their 53rd Annual Richmond Oktoberfest to be held in the Farm Bureau Center at the Meadow Event Park, 13191 Dawn Boulevard in Doswell, Virginia 23407. The festival will occur on Friday the 20th of October, 2023 from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM and Saturday the 21st of October from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM. The inside of the building will be made to look like the interior of a huge German beer tent in Munich.

Anyone who has experienced the many beer festivals around Virginia knows that the Annual Richmond Oktoberfest is the oldest, most authentic, and finest German/American Oktoberfest celebration in the Commonwealth. It will host nearly 5,000 people over the two-day indoor event. The festival is modeled after Munich’s world-famous Oktoberfest.

The Richmond Oktoberfest combines a great party environment like no other beer fest in Virginia. There is the opportunity to eat authentic German food and drink a variety of German beers (Warsteiner, Paulaner and Bitburger, including Oktoberfest style, Pilsners, Lagers, Hefe–Weisse, Marzens, Dunkels and non-alcoholic beers) and German wines. There are roast pork, broiled chicken, and sausage (brat, knack and weiss) dinners offered with sauerkraut, red cabbage, bread, and potato salad. The sausages are from Usingers in Milwaukee Wisconsin.

The snack bar will offer potato pancakes with applesauce, baked almonds, pretzels filled with cheese or Jalapenos and Landjager, a smoked sausage. Reinecker's Bakery in Macedonia, Ohio will have a large selection of freshly baked German tortes, cakes, pastry, and cookies, as well as the famous Bavarian “Lebkuchen Hearts.” These are large German cookies shaped like hearts with love messages inscribed on each cookie.

On both days quality entertainment is provided with games and various fun activities for the little ones at the Kinder Korner. A well-received childrens parade is scheduled at 4:00 PM on Saturday.

North America’s Premier German Band for all occasions, Die Lustigen Almdudler, hailing from Rochester, New York is the best German Party band in the United States. They will play for you the well-known standard Oktoberfest Music, as well as the new sounds that come out of Munich each year. This four-piece band, specializing in German/Austrian music, will provide hand-clapping, toe-tapping pleasure to the young and old alike. Their effort will be complimented by the renowned ACCA Shrine Saurkraut Brass Band (Traditional German Brass Ompah Band) from Richmond.

Both bands will play for you typical Bavarian and American dance music on Friday and Saturday evening. Everyone can get out on the large dance floor and boogie to polkas and waltzes, and enjoy the chance to engage in the much-loved German beer-drinking sing-alongs. The talented Hirschjäger Bavarian Dancers will perform hearty shoe slapping, courtship and wedding dances, plus special dances like the Miller's Wheel, Maypole Dance, and Wood Cutter's dance. The evenings are absolutely killer fun, and unforgettable.

The ever so popular “Bier Stein” Hoisting Contest for Ladies and Gentlemen with the strong upper arms, can participate, with separate events for the Ladies and Gentlemen. The winners of these two events will receive a three-liter Richmond Oktoberfest Beer Stein, made in Germany.

A stein hoisting competition is a traditional Bavarian strength contest to see who can hold up a liquid filled, one-liter beer stein for the longest amount of time. The line between a competitor's shoulders should remain close to perpendicular with the arm holding the stein. The arm holding the stein must remain close to parallel with the ground and should be extended straight with no bending at the elbow. Feet must be square, shoulder-width apart, and back must be straight. Once a competitor’s elbow bends or spills/drops the stein, the person is removed from the contest.

Longest time wins the competition. According to ussteinholding.com, an average men's competition will last between 3-5 minutes and ladies will last about 1-3 minutes.

Gemütlichkeit

Gemütlichkeit is one of the most famous German concepts, used to describe a state of coziness, contentment, and wellbeing. Rather than something tangible, it is a state of feeling.

Gemütlichkeit really means…well, there is not an English translation for it. It is the feeling of good cheer and coziness you get when spending time with a group of friends, doing things you love doing. The word is strongly linked to a sense of community or comradery.

A hard concept to explain, but an easy one to understand when you are drinking liters of beer with your friends in an Oktoberfest beer tent while dancing to some awesome Oktoberfest music. Gemütlichkeit!