Oktoberfest Zinzinnati

Last updated
Oktoberfest Zinzinnati
Dancers at Oktoberfest.jpg
Dancers perform the Schuhplattler, 2015
Date(s)Designated weekend in September
FrequencyAnnual
Location(s) Cincinnati, Ohio
Website oktoberfestzinzinnati.com
Brat Eating Contest at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati 2012 Brat Eating Contest at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati.jpg
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. World's Largest Chicken Dance.jpg
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 Stein Hoist.jpg
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 [1] and second largest in the world. [2] First held in 1976, as of 2023 it hosted over 700,000 attendees each year. [3] [4] It is held along six blocks of Downtown Cincinnati. [5]

Contents

Location and length

The festival for years was held on 5th Street. In 2016 the festival moved to 3rd Street to clear room for Cincinnati Streetcar construction. [6] In 2021 it expanded to four days and in 2023 returned to 5th Street. [7] In 2024, the festival moved to Sawyer Point Park and Yeatman's Cove along Cincinnati's riverfront for expanded space and more entertainment. The new location will also feature a tent seating over 1,000 people, akin to the Oktoberfest in Munich. [8]

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 [9] [10] [11] and also the Running of the Wieners, in which dachshunds and dachshund mixes ("wiener dogs") race in 75-foot heats, wearing hot dog costumes. [10] [12] [13]

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. [14] [15]

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. [16] [17]

Cincinnati's Germania Society has held an Oktoberfest since 1971. [18] [16] The Donauschwaben Society also holds an Oktoberfest. [18] [16]

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. [19] [16] Newport, Kentucky, also directly across the river from Cincinnati, holds an annual Oktoberfest. [18] [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge</span> Suspension bridge between the Ohio River

The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge that spans the Ohio River between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky. When opened on December 1, 1866, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world at 1,057 feet (322 m) main span, which was later overtaken by John A. Roebling's most famous design of the 1883 Brooklyn Bridge at 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m). Pedestrians use the bridge to get between the hotels, bars, restaurants, and parking lots in Northern Kentucky. The bar and restaurant district at the foot of the bridge on the Kentucky side is known as Roebling Point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paycor Stadium</span> Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

Paycor Stadium, previously known as Paul Brown Stadium, is an outdoor football stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home venue of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL) and opened on August 19, 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCPO-TV</span> ABC affiliate in Cincinnati

WCPO-TV is a television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is the flagship television property of locally based E. W. Scripps Company, which has owned the station since its inception. WCPO-TV's studios are located in the Mount Adams neighborhood of Cincinnati next to the Elsinore Arch, and its transmitter is located at the site of the station's original studios on Symmes Street, in the Walnut Hills section of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wiener Nationals</span> American Dachshund racing event

The WienerschnitzelWiener Nationals is a dachshund racing event held at the Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, California. A fundraiser for the Seal Beach Animal Care Center, the event has been held annually since 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flying Pig Marathon</span> Marathon in Cincinnati, Ohio

The Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon is an annual 26.2 mi (42.2 km) race run the first Sunday of May in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded by Robert J. Coughlin, it was first held in 1999, it is the 3rd-largest first-time marathon in the United States. The marathon had nearly 5000 finishers in 2008, and total participation for all weekend events exceeded 30,408 in 2011. The race starts and finishes downtown and also crosses into Northern Kentucky. It is a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dachshund racing</span>

Dachshund racing, or wiener dog racing, is a popular but controversial sporting event, primarily found in North America. Typical dachshund races are either 25 or 50 yards in length, and are run on various surfaces. Many race tracks across America host these events as fundraising or publicity events, and routinely draw the venues' largest attendance numbers of the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brent Spence Bridge</span> U.S. bridge between Kentucky and Ohio

The Brent Spence Bridge is a double decker, cantilevered truss bridge that carries Interstates 71 and 75 across the Ohio River between Covington, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio. The top deck carries Kentucky-bound traffic while the bottom deck carries Ohio-bound traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunken Airport</span> Airport

Cincinnati Municipal Airport – Lunken Field is a public airport in Cincinnati, Ohio, three miles (5 km) east of Downtown Cincinnati. It is owned by the city of Cincinnati and serves private aircraft, including the fleets of local corporations. It serves a few commercial flights and is the second-largest airport serving Cincinnati after Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, which is the area’s primary airport. It is known as Lunken Airport or Lunken Field, after Eshelby Lunken. It is bounded by US Route 50 to the west, US Route 52 and the Ohio River to the south, the Little Miami River to the east, and Ohio Route 125 to the north. The airport is headquarters and hub for Cincinnati-based public charter airline Ultimate Air Shuttle, serving 5 destinations in the eastern United States with 16 peak daily flights. Lunken is also home to small charter airline Flamingo Air and its aviation school.

This is relating to the culture of Cincinnati, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oktoberfest celebrations</span> Overview of Oktoberfest celebrations around the world

The Oktoberfest is a two-week festival held each year in Munich, Germany during late September and early October. It is attended by six million people each year and has inspired numerous similar events using the name Oktoberfest in Germany and around the world, many of which were founded by German immigrants or their descendants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oktoberfest</span> Worlds largest Volksfest

Oktoberfest is the world's largest Volksfest, featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival, and is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, from mid- or late-September to the first Sunday in October, with more than six million international and national visitors attending the event. Locally, it is called d'Wiesn, after the colloquial name for the fairgrounds, Theresienwiese. Oktoberfest is an important part of local culture, having been held since the year 1810. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations that are modeled after the original Munich event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fountain Square, Cincinnati</span> City square in Ohio, United States

Fountain Square is a city square in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1871, it was renovated in 1971 and 2005 and currently features many shops, restaurants, hotels, and offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cincinnati Riverfest</span> Annual festival in Cincinnati, Ohio, US

The Cincinnati Riverfest is an annual festival that takes place on Labor Day weekend on the Ohio River at Cincinnati. It has taken place annually since 1977. The highlight of the event, the fireworks display at 9:05 PM, is one of the largest in the Midwest. The festival's corporate sponsors are WEBN and Western & Southern Financial Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cincinnati</span> City in Ohio, United States

Cincinnati is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line with Kentucky. The population of Cincinnati was 309,317 in 2020, making it the third-most populous city in Ohio after Columbus and Cleveland and 64th in the United States. The city is the economic and cultural hub of the Cincinnati metropolitan area, Ohio's most populous metro area and the nation's 30th-largest with over 2.265 million residents.

WGRI is a commercial radio station broadcasting an urban gospel radio format. It is licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio, and is owned by the Christian Broadcasting System, Ltd.. The studios and offices are on West 7th Street in Cincinnati.

The Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, doing business as the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, is a regional chamber of commerce. It is one of the nation's largest chambers of commerce, representing 4,000 businesses and nearly over 500,000 employees in southwestern Ohio, northern Kentucky and southeastern Indiana, also known as Greater Cincinnati, or the Cincinnati–Northern Kentucky metropolitan area. It was twice named national Chamber of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Total Quality Logistics</span> American Freight Brokerage & Third-Party Logistics Firm

Total Quality Logistics (TQL) is a North American freight brokerage and third-party logistics firm. It was founded in 1997 by Ken Oaks in Cincinnati, and is headquartered in nearby Union Township, Clermont County, Ohio. As of 2021, TQL is the largest private company in greater Cincinnati according to the Cincinnati Enquirer and American City Business Journals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cincinnati metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States

The Cincinnati metropolitan area is a metropolitan area with its core in Ohio and Kentucky. Its largest city is Cincinnati and includes surrounding counties in the U.S. states of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnold's Bar and Grill</span> Restaurant in Cincinnati, Ohio USA, founded 1861

Arnold's Bar and Grill is the oldest continuously operating bar in Cincinnati, Ohio, and one of the oldest in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SkyStar Wheel</span> Ferris wheel in Fishermans Wharf, San Francisco, California, United States

SkyStar Wheel is a 150-foot tall (45.7 m) 137-foot (41.8 m) diameter traveling observation wheel located in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf since November 13, 2023. It has previously operated in San Francisco's Music Concourse (2020–2023), Cincinnati's The Banks (2018–2020), Louisville's Waterfront Park (2018), and Norfolk (2018).

References

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