Oktoberfest in Leavenworth–get out and go!
Oktoberfest dancers in lederhosen
So, chances are by now that all condos and hotels are booked in the little Bavarian town across the pass, but if there’s some way you can swing it (Sleep in your car! Get a designated driver for a day trip! Make friends and crash on their floor! Book for next year!), Oktoberfest in Leavenworth is running through this weekend and next.
I went last week for the opening weekend, and it was gut and wunderbar! (Oh come on, how can you write about Oktoberfest without throwing in a bunch of cheesy German references?!) In fact, in beat out Fremont’s Oktoberfest in a number of different categories:
- Despite it being one of the most popular celebrations in Leavenworth and nearly impossible to find a place to stay, there were virtually no lines, and it wasn’t overcrowded. I never had to wait for more than one or two people ahead of me in the beer or bathroom line, and my group of six had no problem finding a table to sit at.
- It’s surprisingly very affordable with a $10 entry fee and $4 beers.
- While there weren’t 70 beers on tap, the beers are straight from Munich, Germany.
- Plenty a food was to be had–pretzels, Bavarian brats, German sausage, winekraut and more!
- Authentic German bands played music in the beer tents and outside, with a few performances from some very tasty men in leather lederhosen and plenty of opportunities to dance the chicken dance while beer tipsy (Let me tell you how entertaining that is. I am so having the chicken dance at my wedding.)
- The bars and restaurants in town weren’t overcrowded and perfectly available for after-beer-tent festivities. (Cause really, who needs to go to bed after drinking beer for 10 hours?)
- The weather is still clear, mild and sunny in Leavenworth, which beats out the Seattle rain!
- Tons of cute little old German people with authentic lederhosen, dirndls and accents are serving up the food and the beer, which obviously makes it feel a little more like you’re right in Munich.
- The hat store.
- There is a Bavarian background cut out–you know, the ones where you stick your face in the hole–which I promise will entertain you for hours.
Pretzels!
I also once bought a very swanky hat at Leavenworth that it wouldn’t be amiss to yodel in. So I’ve got that goin’ for me.
I tried going to this Oktoberfest, but the beers just weren’t that great. I like German beers, but the ones they tend to get are the like the German versions of a macrobrew. The sad part is that just about every town of a decent size usually has a couple of local breweries that make much better beer. I remember being in Fulda and having a very tasty local dopple bock that I have yet to meet its match.
Leavenworth is great for the pretzels and to walk around for a day, but adding in sort of pricey beer that isn’t as good as what you can get at Elysian…hmm. I say go for the kitsch, don’t stay for the beer.