The countdown is on…just 1 more month until OktOBERfest at Ober Gatlinburg is in full swing! Once again, Ober Gatlinburg will bring this beloved German celebration to life with music, food, family fun, and of course – German beer! September 22 – October 29, 2017, Ober Gatlinburg will host the month-long celebration that’s smaller – but no less festive!
As always, OktOBERfest at Ober Gatlinburg centers around German traditions, foods, and BEER. Open from noon until 6 p.m. daily (and 7 p.m. on Saturdays), the Outdoor Bier Garten will feature an impressive lineup of seasonal, Bavarian, and regional beers. If you’re 21 and over, stop by for samples and choose your favorite for a glass to enjoy alongside your brats. They’ll even have different breweries featured each weekend, with a representative from each place at OktOBERfest on Saturdays.
OktOBERfest will also feature the perfect pairings for German beer – Bavarian food favorites! Savor everything from bratwurst, sauerkraut, and strudel to schnitzel, pretzels, and giant turkey legs. There are also lots of options for those who aren’t up for German food or who have a serious sweet tooth!
Before you get too full, be sure to join in with the Bavarian Fun Makers Oompah Band, which has been a fan favorite year after year. Dressed in authentic lederhosen, the Bavarian Fun Makers Oompah Band performs folk dances, plays oompah music, has sing-a-longs, yodels, and more! They perform at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays; 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. on Tuesdays; and 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. If you want to grab a good seat, be sure you get there about 30 minutes before showtime.
OktOBERfest Fun for the Kids
OktOBERfest at Ober Gatlinburg isn’t just for the 21-and-over crowd. There are plenty of fun activities for kids as well! Saturdays will bring FREE face painting, and there will be outdoor games and inflatables. Plus, there are lots of fun Ober Gatlinburg activities. For kid-friendly fun, check out:
- Chair Swings
- Wildlife Encounter
- Indoor ice skating 4.
- Alpine Slide 5.
- Ski Mountain Coaster 6.
- Aerial Tramway
- Water raft rides
- Carousel
- Amaze’n Maze
- Shopping, fresh fudge, and more!
The History of Oktoberfest
The first Oktoberfest was in Munich, Germany, on October 12, 1810, when Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen invited the citizens of Munich to join in their Royal Wedding celebration. The 5-day event was memorialized over the years, and it eventually grew into the 16-day event that happens in Germany today. Today’s celebration includes 1.5+ million gallons of beer, hundreds of thousands of sausages and spit-roasted chickens, and tons of live music to last more than 2 weeks.
Our Pigeon Forge Cabins
After a day of beer, dancing, and filling your stomach, a comfortable place to crash is a must. Check out our awesome Pigeon Forge cabins, where you can book everything from a cozy 1-2 bedroom cabin to a spacious large group lodge for all your friends or the whole family. You can spend the day hanging out at OktOBERfest and then head back to the cabin to watch movies in your private home theater, relax in front of a big screen TV and fireplace, unwind in the hot tub on the deck, sit back with a cup of coffee on the deck, play games in your rec room, or call it an early night and rest in a comfy king-size bed.
Beer Beyond OktOBERfest
If you can’t make it for OktOBERfest, or you want to explore the city more, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg offer some great bars, distilleries, and places for live music. You can grab a local beer and burger at Smoky Mountain Brewery, have drinks and pizza at Mellow Mushroom at The Island, get beer and cocktails at the motorcycle-centric Iron Boar Saloon, enjoy a margarita and happy-hour specials at Margaritaville at The Island, or watch the game at Blaine’s Bar & Grill.
The Smokies also boasts moonshine distilleries, where you can enjoy samples before deciding which jars you want to take back to the cabin. At Ole Smoky Moonshine Holler in Gatlinburg, you can listen to live music most nights and taste flavors like Butterscotch, Mountain Java, Strawberry Rhubarb, Lemon Teashine, and Blue Flame. At the Ole Smoky Moonshine at The Island in Pigeon Forge, an outdoor stage offers music throughout the year. Sit back with the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel behind you and the show fountain beside you!
Sugarlands Distillery in Gatlinburg is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday – Thursday, 10 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Stop by to learn more about the distilling process or try some locally made whiskey and moonshine. Sip on everything from Pina Colada, Silver Cloud Tennessee Sour Mash, and Tickle’s Dynamite Cinnamon to Mark & Digger’s Rye Apple, Mark Rogers American Peach, and Hazelnut Rum.
