I went to Denver Oktoberfest this past Saturday afternoon to check it out, and found that it was pretty damn lively. This festival has been going on since 1969, originally in Larimer Square, and later at its current location on Larimer Street in the Ballpark Neighborhood. The Ballpark Neighborhood, just to the east of Coors Field, is sandwiched between the River North (RiNo) and Lower Downtown (LoDo) neighborhoods, both of which are the stomping grounds of Denver hipsters, who were out and about in force on Saturday. This is the second Oktoberfest I have attended this year, the first being The Highlands Oktoberfest, which I found mildly disappointing. It was almost a carbon copy of the Highlands Street Festival. Don't get me wrong, I love that festival, but their Oktoberfest just seemed pretty damn bland.
On the other hand, the Denver Oktoberfest had events such as stein-hoisting, as seen in the photograph on the right, keg bowling, lots of traditional food booths, German beer, and best of all, lots of people in costume. There was also a Long Dog Derby, a costume contest, and a talent show, in addition to two stages featuring polka music and The Chicken Dance. And if you are really into Oktoberfest, you could buy a VIP pass and spend the entire day at the festival, receiving a commemorative stein, unlimited beer and wine, 2 ice cold Jagermeister Shots, and a German lunch and dinner. All for a measly $165. However, to me, that does not sound like such a great idea. A little bit of Oktoberfest goes a long way, and with unlimited beer and wine, you might wake up the next morning in Wichita, and for the rest of your life never know how you got there. And for the record, I have to say, I saw very few people in the VIP section.
One of the main things about the Highlands Oktoberfest that I didn't like was that I did not see many traditional food booths. Not true at The Denver Oktoberfest. They had all kinds of traditional food offerings, including that most iconic of German cuisines, Das Turkey Leg, no doubt freshly defrosted from last June's Denver Chalk Art Festival. Yum! And best of all, this is only the first weekend of Oktoberfest. They will do it all over again next weekend, too. Plus, the Colorado Rockies will be playing their final series against the Los Angeles Dodgers that weekend, ensuring a huge crowd of baseball fans and Oktoberfest revelers filling the streets. See you all there next weekend! Don't forget to bring your VIP pass!
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