Oktoberfest celebrates 10th anniversary
Happy Anniversary, Oktoberfest!
Hard to believe, but 2019 marks the 10th anniversary of the Great Northwest Oktoberfest in Whitefish, and it’s time to celebrate Bavarian-style!
Time to crown a new Hop Queen, tap a few (hundred) kegs, do the Chicken Dance, saw a few logs and enjoy brats, beer and Old World hospitality that’s unlike any you’ll find this side of Munich.
The 10th Annual Great Northwest Oktoberfest is set for Sept. 26, 27 and 28 through Oct. 2, 3, 4 and 5 at the Smith Fields Sports Complex, across from North Valley Hospital.
This year’s festival won’t be held in the friendly confines of Depot Park, because the downtown park is in the midst of a major renovation and improvement project. But thankfully, the folks at Smith Fields welcomed Oktoberfest with open arms, and will provide a beautiful backdrop for this year’s celebration complete with acres of free paved parking!
So get ready … here comes seven nights and two days of authentic Bavarian food, drink, music and dancing, and the wildest array of audience participation contests that the Flathead Valley has ever seen!
Three great bands will provide non-stop oompah, polka, waltz, western swing, classic rock and other great dance music throughout the festival, with one of America’s most sought after Oktoberfest bands — Europa — entertaining the masses each night Sept. 26-28.
The following week, Canada’s polka legends, The Western Senators, will play under the Oktoberfest Bigtop on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, and will also make an appearance at the Firebrand Hotel on Wednesday, Oct. 2 for the 2019 Hop Queen Qualifiers. On Saturday afternoons it’s the Bavarian Echoes, the Flathead’s own Bavarian brass band.
For more information, check out the event website at www.whitefishOktoberfest.com
Family Day
On Saturday, Sept. 28 is Family Day at Oktoberfest, so bring out the whole family for a great afternoon of family-style fun. There will be a bounce house for the young’uns to explore, a climbing wall, face-painting, the Kids’ Chicken Dancing Championships on the main dance floor, and other activities geared toward the young and the young-at-heart.
Ride Whitefish Trail to
Oktoberfest
Thursday, Oct. 3 will be “Whitefish Trail Night” at Oktoberfest, with a portion of the gate proceeds benefiting Whitefish Legacy Partners, the nonprofit group that spearheads development of the Whitefish Trail system. A crew of volunteers from Legacy Partners will be manning the bar that night, so make sure you tip big!
Hop Queen Crowning
Also set for Thursday, Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. is the crowning of the 2019 Hop Queen, accompanied by all of the pomp and circumstance befitting the coronation of the Royal Matriarch of Oktoberfest. Applications, nominations, suggestions and salutations are still being solicited, so for more details or to throw your crown in the ring for the Hop Queen pageant call the Whitefish Chamber at 862-3501, or visit www.whitefishOktoberfest.com.
Directions
The Great Northwest Oktoberfest takes place at Smith Fields Sports Complex, on River Lakes Parkway across from North Valley Hospital. From Highway 93 in Whitefish, turn east at the stoplight on JP Road (Don K car dealership), then take a right on River Lakes Parkway. Smith Fields will be a quarter-mile ahead, on your left.
From Columbia Falls/Highway 40, turn right about one-quarter mile east of Highway 93, onto Hospital Way. Smith Fields will be on your right.
Admission
Admission to Oktoberfest is just $5 for adults, with kids under 12 accompanied by parents absolutely free. And don’t worry about the weather — come sunshine, rain, sleet or snow, it’ll be warm and toasty under the climate-controlled Oktoberfest Bigtop.
For more information, call the Whitefish Chamber at (406) 862-3501, or check out the event website at www.whitefishOktoberfest.com