German music, dancing and refreshments will be in abundance at the upcoming Oktoberfest to be held in Jefferson County.
The German Cultural Society of St. Louis event will be held from 7-10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, 5-10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, at Donau Park, 5020 W. Four Ridge Road, in House Springs.
The public is invited, and admission is free.
“It’s a great time to celebrate German heritage,” said Joe Wendl, a society spokesman. “We have German dance groups. There are three German bands. We have bratwurst dinners Saturday and Sunday. On Friday, we have pretzel brats.”
“We’ll have American and German beers and wine,” he said.
“People come for the German beer,” said Monika Lorenz, the society’s president.
Wendl said the event draws from a wide region.
“We get people from all over the metropolitan area: Jefferson County, St. Louis, St. Charles – really, the whole region,” he said.
Lorenz said this year’s Oktoberfest has been expanded.
“We added the Friday night event,” Lorenz said. “In the past it was just Saturday and Sunday.”
Wendl said the society’s Oktoberfest goes back a couple of decades, although it wasn’t held one year because of COVID-19.
“I think our first Oktoberfest was 2002,” he said. “We canceled it in 2020. This is our second year back after COVID.”
The bands scheduled to perform include Die Spitzbaum from 7-10 p.m. Sept. 9, The Wendl Band from 5-10 p.m. Sept. 10, and The Deutschmeister Brass Band from noon to 6 p.m. Sept. 11.
The Kindertanzgruppe, the Jugendgruppe, Die Heimatgruppe and the Volkstanzgruppe dance groups also are scheduled to perform.
“We’re just looking forward to a weekend with lots of people coming to enjoy the German heritage,” Lorenz said. “It’s a German Oktoberfest in traditional German style.”
For more information, visit the German Cultural Society of St. Louis page on Facebook, the organization’s website at germanstl.org or call 314-771-8368.