The summer is over, the wurst is yet to come
The days may be getting shorter but to us that means just one thing: Oktoberfest is only a short fermentation away. Stop and you can almost hear the hops a-malting. So get out your lederhosen and your favorite oversized beer mugs; it’s time to cry “O’zapft is!” (”It’s tapped!”). Officially, the boozing begins (make that celebration of the harvest) September 16. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Visit the land where it all started when Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese von Sachsen - Hildburghausen (imagine that for a Scrabble triple word score) and the town celebrated for five days. To honor the age-old tradition, the world has upped the party to two weeks of nonstop fun from September 16th to October 3rd. Check out the beer tents, food, entertainment, and carnival style games during your stay. Feeling adventurous? Or just anti-social? Try Hankase mit Musik (hand cheese with music), a cheese marinated in oil, vinegar, and onions. The musical element of this dish begins 30-40 minutes after consumption.
- If you find your self in LA or San Diego this fall, check in on the 36th Annual Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest which runs six weekends in a row starting September 16th. Live bands and entertainment straight from Germany, log sawing contests, stein holding contests, and safe beer slam drinking contests round out the activities in between gorging on obscene amounts of food. Enjoy some hiking, fishing, and mountain biking to work off some of that bratwurst during your stay.
- Boston’s 17th Annual Harpoon Oktoberfest owns the bragging rights for the largest festival celebrating barley and hops in New England. Show up the last weekend of September at Harpoon’s Brewery for keg bowling, authentic German cuisine, drinking, contests, music, and the best Chicken Dancing this side of the Alps. Hanging around after the festival ends? Take a tour of Harpoon’s brewery while you’re there and stock up on their 64 ounce collectable bottle that they fill right from their taps. How long the contents remain collectable is up to you.
- Nothing says Oktoberfest like Helen, Georgia. OK, one or two more places may come to mind before this picturesque mountain town but trust us, this place means business. Helen’s Oktoberfest runs two months – from September 14th to November 5th – and boasts the biggest party in the Southeast. The celebration comes complete with beer, Bavarian food, contests, dancing, beer gardens, trout tournaments, and more.
Want to help spread the word about Kayak? Vote for Kayak in this BusinessWeek survey as the best travel site and, in honor of the season, the next time we see you the beers are on us. Polls close on 9/8 and, unlike Kayak, BusinessWeek won’t wait for you.
Prost!
Steve and Paul, Kayak.com co-founders