The month of Oktober means beer, bratwurst and pretzels, and nowhere will the great German tradition of Oktoberfest be carried out with more beachy flair than in Ocean Beach and South Park this weekend.
So strap on your lederhosen for the ultimate beer garden doubleheader.
Starting appropriately enough at 4:20 p.m. on Friday, the O.B. Oktoberfest at the intersection of Newport Avenue and Abbott Street gets into the spirit with a tasting of seven German brews inside the beer garden for $20.
Local bands Brothers Gow, Electric Waste Band and Piracy Conspiracy are slated to perform for the fall-loving crowds, and the “Blonde’a’thon” happy hour runs until 6 p.m.
On Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., the brews and tunes keep rolling, featuring Vokab Kompany, Todo Mundo and the Devastators.
Those wanting to burn off the beer calories from the night before (or the calories they expect to gain) can join in for the Brat Trot Beach Run at 10:15 a.m., which benefits the local youth sports. Any sausage enthusiast would love to add this trophy to his or her collection.
The German art of competition will be celebrated with challenges in stein holding, bratwurst eating, balloon blowing and sausage tossing — all ripe for a hefty helping of schadenfreude.
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Finally, revelers will crown the fairest of them all: Ms. Oktoberfest.
If that’s not enough for you, South Park's Parktoberfest is just a hop, skip and a jump away (as long as you’re sober behind the wheel).
The first ever event will take over the Gala Foods parking lot at 3030 Grape Street Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
You’ll need a big plate to handle all the Bavarian sausages, pretzels and German potato salad set to come your way.
For those 21 and up, you can pair your food with San Diego’s finest brews from Stone, Green Flash, Ballast Point, Mission Brewery, Lightning Brewery, Mother Earth, Thorn St. Brewery, Twisted Manzanita Ales and Mike Hess brewing companies.
And what’s an Oktoberfest without a polka band? Papa Oom Pah Pah will headline the main stage, preceded by local bands Lexington Field, Brick Top Blaggers, and the School of Rock.
But this isn’t an adults-only event. Kiddos will have plenty to do in the family section with face painting and carnival acts, organizers say.
Parktoberfest itself is free, but the parts that cost you a few bucks will benefit Shakti Rising, a charity aimed at empowering women and children.
Both events have plans to get people to and from their beer gardens without driving drunk.
Shuttles will run hourly on Friday from the 710 Beach Club in Pacific Beach to Ocean Beach from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Those trips will increase to every half an hour Saturday from 12 to 10 p.m., and hourly shuttle stops will also be set up at The Local in downtown San Diego and the Rabbit Hole in Normal Heights.
As for Parktoberfest, a free bike valet will make trips for those not in a state to drive. A complimentary shuttle will also run up and down 30th Street from Grape Street to North Park.
