Enjoy a beer and the beach at OB Oktoberfest

Leave the brew at the bar and buy it at Ocean Beach for this year’s annual Oktoberfest! All month long Oktoberfest is coming to a sundry of San Diego cities, includingEl Cajon, La Mesa, Julian, Carlsbad, Ramona, but it’s the Ocean Beach celebration that beer and beach lovers just can’t miss!

Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Newport Avenue will burst alive with two stages of live music, a Bavarian beer garden, games, and of course, succulent sausages, brats, and the traditional, yummy favorites of an authentic German Oktoberfest.

This boisterous, fun-loving festival began in Munich, Germany in 1810 to honor one of the country’s royal families, but quickly led to an annual affair.

Starting in early October and ending with a great horse race in mid-October, the 16-day spread was Germany’s yearly chance to enjoy the balmy, cool temperatures of fresh fall weather, the coming together of thousands of German citizens, and the delicious, crisp tastes of the scores of German-made beers.  While basking in the sunshine, festival-goers could leave their work behind and take pleasure in games, music, food and friends causing them to work up quite a thirst!

Courtesy of Barvarian Holiday

Almost two hundred years later, Oktoberfest has become the world’s largest festival, popping up all over the international scene and bringing together enormous amounts of beer connoisseurs each year.

In 2007, Munich’s Oktoberfest had 6.2 million attendees, went through almost 7 million liters of beer, and had 14 massively-sized tents full of fun activities.

Imagine partying with 6 million people? A number like that may be a bit more than us laid-back San Diegans can handle, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a party of our own!

Courtesy of Winstons in OB

Here in San Diego, we can we sip (or chug) our cold brews in the warm sun and cool ocean breezes. The glistening waters of Ocean Beach transform San Diego’s Oktoberfest into a one-day-getaway many would kill to attend.

In addition to the sounds of crashing waves, visitors will be rocking out to the acoustics of popular bands such as 40 Oz. to Freedom and Way Cool Jr. Many more are scheduled to perform on the two stages set up this year.

In addition to music and beer, both adults and kids can enter and compete for $10,000 in cash and prizes in festive games. With annual favorites like the 5k run, OB Brat Trot, and world famous Sausage Toss, participants are sure to take home lots of laughs, Kodak moments and lifetime memories.

So pull out your lederhosen, dirndls and steins, bring a hearty appetite and allow yourself indulge in all this fun, affordable and family-friendly festival brings to the beach!

Don’t want to drive? Don’t worry — a free shuttle runs from 710 Beach Club in Pacific Beach to OB all day long so festival-goers can avoid traffic, parking, and irresponsible driving.

Call Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association at 619-224-4906 or visit oboktoberfest.com for more information.