Alderbrook Park will hold its annual Oktoberfest on Sept. 24 during a celebration that will include vendors, music, and of course, a variety of beer.
Alderbrook’s general manager Chris Bryden said the event is the largest one the park holds each year.
“There will be probably 100 craft vendors is what we’re shooting for,” Bryden said. “There are food trucks, our cafe is serving authentic Bavarian food, there’s live entertainment both on the main stage and out in the field.”
Oktoberfest will also feature games and contests, which includes wiener dog races and gunny sack races for kids. Bounce houses will be included, along with train rides, mini golf, pedal boats, and the use of the swimming pool.
Bryden’s favorite part of the event is the live music.
“We have the Smilin’ Scandinavians, which is a traditional authentic German band that will be playing music like that all day, and in the evening, we’ve got Prom Date Mixtape out of Seattle, that are going to be doing ‘80s covers in the evening part,” he said.
Bryden considers the Smilin’ Scandinavians “incredible musicians” who “get the crowd going,” creating a fun environment. As for Prom Date Mixtape, he said they’re high-energy and very entertaining.
This is the first time Alderbrook Park will hold an Oktoberfest since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The last event in 2019 brought in between 3,500 to 4,000 people. Bryden expects the turnout to be similar this year.
“The phones have not stopped ringing, we’ll put it that way,” he said.
Besides the wiener dog and the gunny sack races, Bryden said there will also be a dance contest, a hammerschlagen contest and three-legged races. He favors the wiener dog race most because he loves “watching those little dogs run.”
“They sometimes will run into the crowd, sometimes they’ll run the distance, but it’s always entertaining,” Bryden said.
Some of the food vendors include Las Chicas Carnitas, Bamboo Grove Hawaiian Grille, Grandma June’s Food Cart, North County Coffee and the Mega Melt.
With beer being a main staple of Oktoberfest, Bryden hopes to include a variety of imported brews like Ayinger, Warsteiner alongside Samuel Adams Oktoberfest, and a number of ciders. However, Bryden noted the type of beer is subject to change because of supply chain issues.
“I haven’t gotten confirmation on what’s available and what’s coming, and I have three distributors working on it,” he said. “But we will have several authentic German beers, several ciders, wine, and just your regular IPAs, ambers, and of course your Coors Lite, for those who want that.”
The event will run from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sept. 24. The cost for entry is $12 for adults, $8 for kids 4 to 13 years old, and entry is free for kids 3 and under. Alderbrook Park is located at 24414 NE Westerholm Road in Brush Prairie.
For more information, visit alderbrookparkevents.com/499/Oktoberfest.
