Downtown Lincoln’s Haymarket district will be teeming with Bavarian culture this weekend for the 2nd annual Nebraska Oktoberfest hosted by the local brewery Bierhaus Maisschäler.
The celebration will occupy “P” Street between 7th and 9th streets starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28. Attendees are encouraged to sport their finest lederhosen and dirndls while enjoying live polka music, festive games, and of course local craft beers, & traditional German food.
Walking KLIN News through the correct pronunciation (beer•house | my•shoe•lurr — roughly translates to Beerhouse Corn Husker), General Manager Oz Fernandez says after their inaugural success last year, they wanted to push the limit by extending the street party into the intersection this year.
“The whole thing is just about having fun around the culture of what Oktoberfest is: Everybody dresses up, drinks a ton of beer, enjoys traditional germane style foods like pretzels & sausages, we have great live polka music, we all just have a good time and dance the night away,” said Fernandez.
For those not wanting to miss the Nebraska v. Perdue football game on Saturday, Bierhaus will have the game broadcast outdoors on a big screen starting at 11 a.m.
A ceremonial keg tapping is set for 1:30 p.m. and live music from a variety of acts will run all night starting at 2 p.m.
The American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) is partnering with Group Therapy Bike Tours to run a pedal pub between the celebration and the AHSGR museum.
Shutting down the whole block is no small feat, but Fernandez says these huge celebrations spread the love across the whole Haymarket.
“We always want to try to include our neighbors and try to make sure that we’re inviting… but it’s just a helpful thing to have the Haymarket just feel alive for a day. Everybody just comes down and has a good time. Some people get to find out things that they didn’t know before,” he said.
Fernandez anticipates around 4,500-5,000 people to show out for the festival.
Admission is $10 (Includes one “token”) plus taxes and fees when purchased in advanced, or $20 (Includes one token) at the door.
There will not be cash or card throughout the event, and attendees will need tokens to aquire drinks/food. Tokens can be purchased at the Merch booth or in advance. Tokens can be redeemed for:
- 20oz Stein of Bier = 1 Token
- 1 Liter Stein = 2 Tokens
- Sideshow Canned Cocktails = 1 Token
- Pretzel = 1 Token
- Butcher Built Sausage = 2 Tokens
Visit nebraskaoktoberfest.com to purchase tickets/tokens.
Bierhaus Maisschäler