Oktoberfest Zinzinnati

For other uses, see Oktoberfest (disambiguation).

Oktoberfest Zinzinnati
Dancers perform the Schuhplattler, 2015
Date(s)	Designated weekend in September
Frequency	Annual
Location(s)	Cincinnati, Ohio
Founded	1976
Attendance	800,000 [1]
Website	oktoberfestzinzinnati.com

Brat Eating Contest at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati 2012

More than 30,000 participated in the World's Largest Chicken Dance in 2015, led by former Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson.

Drew and Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees participate in the Sam's Adams Stein Hoisting Championship at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati 2014.

Oktoberfest Zinzinnati is an annual German-heritage festival in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. Based on the original Munich Oktoberfest, it is billed as the largest Oktoberfest celebration in the United States ^[2] and second largest in the world. ^[3] First held in 1976, as of 2024 it hosted over 800,000 attendees each year. ^{[4] [5]} The 2024 festival was held at Sawyer Point Park and Yeatman's Cove along the Ohio River. ^[6]

Location and length

For many years, the festival was held on 5th Street. In 2016, the festival moved to 3rd Street to avoid intersecting the route of the newly constructed Cincinnati Streetcar. ^[7] In 2021, it expanded to four days. In 2023, it moved to a new location on 5th Street, stretching between Main Street and Lytle Park. ^[8] In 2024, the festival moved to Sawyer Point Park and Yeatman's Cove along Cincinnati's riverfront to allow for expanded space and more entertainment. The new location also features a tent seating over 1,000 people, akin to the Oktoberfest in Munich. ^[9]

Events

Oktoberfest Zinzinnati claimed the world record for the largest Chicken Dance in 1994, with over 48,000 participants.

The festival includes the World Brat Eating Championship ^{[10] [11] [12]} and also the Running of the Wieners, in which dachshunds and dachshund mixes ("wiener dogs") race in 75-foot heats, wearing hot dog costumes. ^{[11] [13] [14]}

COVID-19

In 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, concerts were virtual instead of live. In both 2020 and 2021, Oktoberfest Zinzinnati was recognized as the world's largest Oktoberfest because Munich's Oktoberfest was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic two years in a row. ^{[15] [16]}

Other Greater Cincinnati Oktoberfests

Cincinnati has a large percentage of the population with some German ancestry, and there are multiple Oktoberfests held in and around the downtown area as well as outlying suburbs. ^{[17] [18]}

Cincinnati's Germania Society has held an Oktoberfest since 1971. ^{[19] [17]} The Donauschwaben Society also holds an Oktoberfest. ^{[19] [17]}

Covington, Kentucky, directly across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati and considered part of Greater Cincinnati, has since 1979 held an Oktoberfest in its Mainstrasse Village. ^{[20] [17]} Newport, Kentucky, also directly across the river from Cincinnati, holds an annual Oktoberfest. ^{[19] [17]}

See also

• Oktoberfest celebrations
• German Americans
• History of Cincinnati
• The Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals

References

1. "Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati". Oktoberfest Zinzinnati. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
2. "Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati". Fodor's Travel. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
3. "Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati". Cincinnati USA. 2014-04-25. Retrieved 2022-10-19.
4. Sanderson, Emily (2023-09-15). "Oktoberfest Zinzinnati 2023: Everything you need to know". WLWT. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
5. "Downtown Cincinnati could host a whopping 780K people this weekend. Here's why". The Enquirer. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
6. "What is Oktoberfest Zinzinnati?". Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
7. Brownfield, Andy (19 July 2016). "Oktoberfest Zinzinnati moving to new location". Cincinnati Business Journal. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
8. "Oktoberfest Zinzinnati 2023 moving back to 5th Street, extends to 4 days". WCPO 9 Cincinnati. 2023-07-06. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
9. "Festival Information". Oktoberfest Zinzinnati. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
10. "World eating champ defends title at Ohio contest". The News-Herald. Southgate, Michigan. Associated Press. 18 September 2011.
11. Dreier, Natalie (17 September 2021). "Top dog: Wiener dogs race kicks off Oktoberfest celebrations". WSB. Atlanta. Cox Media Group. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
12. "Man breaks world record at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati during brat eating contest". WKRC. 18 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2023– via Local12.com.
13. "1-year-old Maple crowned winning wiener in Cincy's Running of the Wieners". WCPO. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
14. "Annual 'Running of the Wieners' race during Oktoberfest 2022". Cincinnati Enquirer (photo gallery). 16 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
15. "Pandemic won't stop Oktoberfest Zinzinnati 2020". WCPO. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
16. Smith, Ashley (8 September 2021). "Oktoberfest Zinzinnati adds extra day to become world's largest Oktoberfest for 2021". Fox19. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
17. "Cincinnati Oktoberfest Guide for 2023 · 365 CINCINNATI". 2023-06-24. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
18. Horn, Dan. "How German is the Cincinnati region? We're on the leaderboard, but not No. 1". The Enquirer. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
19. "5 can't miss Oktoberfest celebrations in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky". www.visitcincy.com. 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
20. "Everything you need to know about Covington's Oktoberfest celebration". WCPO 9 Cincinnati. 2023-09-08. Retrieved 2024-03-05.