The countdown is on: just eight weeks until Beau’s Oktoberfest!
With Beau’s Oktoberfest a short eight weeks away, Beau’s brewery has released some additional details today about what to expect for the ninth annual edition of their signature fundraising event, which takes place Friday September 22 and Saturday September 23 at the Vankleek Hill Fairgrounds.
Most notably for 2017, a 50-foot Ferris wheel has been added to the festival attractions, offering riders a thrill plus a great view of the surrounding countryside. Ferris wheels are longstanding tradition at the Munich Oktoberfest, from which Beau’s Oktoberfest took inspiration. Rides will cost $5, and will support the many charities and community groups for which the event raises funds each year. (In fact, last year’s Oktoberfest fundraising hit a remarkable milestone, topping a half-million dollars in funds raised to date.)
Beau’s Oktoberfest caters to those who like to think n’ drink with the School of Bock, and tickets are on sale now for five different one-hour education sessions. New topics for 2017 include How to Start a Brewery (In One Million Easy Steps), This Woman’s Work: Craft Beer Careers, and School of Hops: Understanding IPA; popular returning sessions from previous years are Pairing Beer and Cheese, and Pairing Seasonal Food and Beer. Tickets for School of Bock are $10 and can be purchased in advance on the Beau’s Oktoberfest website:beausoktoberfest.ca.
Foodies can visit the website for a sneak peek at the list of more than 25 local restaurants who will be on hand at Beau’s Oktoberfest serving up seasonal and Bavarian-inspired cuisine. The unconventional approach to festival food has served Beau’s well too, earning the festival the Ontario Tourism Summit’s award in 2016 for Culinary Tourism Event of the Year. The website also has a partial list of brewery friends who will have a keg of their finest on tap at Craft Haus, Beau’s “beer festival within a beer festival.” Guest breweries from Ontario, Québec, and the U.S. are currently listed, and updates will continue in the weeks leading up.
Two music stages, a full day of fun activities, Kinderfest for Kids … with so much to know about Beau’s Oktoberfest, what’s a fan to do to keep up? Download the app, of course. The Beau’s Oktoberfest app is available in the App Store or Google Play Store, and features everything you need to know to maximize good times including a schedule of events, profiles of musicians, details on all the different beers, menus from food vendors, and an interactive map. http://www.beausoktoberfest.
Single day and weekend passes, camping, and round-trip bus packages from Ottawa, Montréal and Cornwall can all be purchased at beausoktoberfest.ca. As in previous years, Saturday tickets are expected to sell out, so would-be festival-goers are encouraged to buy early to avoid disappointment.