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Annual festival in Cincinnati, Ohio From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 2024 it hosted over 800,000 attendees each year.[3][4] The 2024 festival was held at Sawyer Point Park and Yeatman's Cove along the Ohio River.[5]
| Oktoberfest Zinzinnati | |
|---|---|
 | |
Dancers perform the Schuhplattler, 2015 | |
| Date(s) | Designated weekend in September |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Website | oktoberfestzinzinnati |
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.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]
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]
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]
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]
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