Tickets are available now for the largest Oktoberfest celebration in the Bay Area. Opening Friday, Oktober 7th Oktoberfest Tampa at the beautiful Curtis Hixon Park downtown heralds an ebullient celebration of Alles Deutsch (all things German).
Learn traditional German drinking songs and dances, meet new friends, enjoy the (hopefully) cooler weather, indulge in delicious foods like Schnitzel, bratwurst, Sauerbraten, pretzels, and most importantly, enjoy giant steins of cold, refreshing German beer!
Oktoberfest is a vital part of Bavarian culture first celebrated back in the Middle Ages. The first modern Oktoberfest in 1810 Munich, celebrated the marriage of King Ludwig I to the beautiful Princess Therese. Munich locals refer to it as the "Wiesn" - a shortening of the name of the original venue, the Theresienwiese (Theresa's Meadow). The festival was an opportunity to promote local Bavarian agriculture, costumes, and traditions.
The Oktoberfest is ceremonially opened by a cry of "O'zapft is!" (It's tapped!) upon tapping the very first keg of special Oktoberfest beer.
Citizens in Tampa Bay love beer, as everyone knows, so be sure to try the Helles pilsner, the Dunkle dark ales, Märzen (Oktoberfest amber), the famous Weissbier, and the especially delicious Radler - a mix of pale ale with lemon-lime soda.
Be sure to get there extra early if you'd like to get a table. It's an Oktoberfest in Tampa tradition to share tables, so be sure to cheer your new neighbors with "Prost!" - and connect with the bottom of your beer mug, NOT the top, to avoid a scandalous possible waste of beer.
It's also wise to know that your lovely beer servers are at the head of the Oktoberfest food chain, so make certain to tip early and often for exceptionally stellar service. (Fun fact - some researchers think the word "tips" was an acronym for "To Insure Proper Service" - but servers don't care whence the word comes, just do it!)
The hosts & sponsors of this year's Oktoberfest Tampa also recommend that if you're going to learn one German drinking song, it should be the stalwart "Ein Prosit." Celebrated every 20 minutes or so, it's pretty simple to remember:
- Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
- Der Gemütlichkeit
- Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
- Der Gemütlichkeit
- Eins, Zwei, Drei, Gsuffa! (I know this part! It means one, two, three, DRINK!)
I could get the hang of that! Tickets start at only $10, so see you soon at the legendary Oktoberfest in Tampa celebration, Oktober 7-9, at beautiful Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park.
Stay connected to events in Tampa, like Oktoberfest Tampa, or check out our full Oktoberfest events in Tampa page for more ideas this month of Oktober. Best of all, registration on 813area is free!
