The 10th edition of Auburn’s Oktoberfest celebration featured over 200 beers from over 150 breweries. The annual festival took place Saturday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Ag. Heritage Park on the University’s campus.
In every celebration since its inception, Oktoberfest has been put on by The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. Adam Keeshan, the event organizer, said that he has watched the event grow in attendance since it began 10 years ago. Over the years, event attendance has risen from under 100 to the thousands.
“The word of mouth, they talk about it, build it up and the people say we put on a great event," Keeshan said. "At the same time we have guests who continue to come."
This year’s Oktoberfest also drew in several breweries and attendees from out of state. Seventeen different states were represented at the event and 15% of all ticket sales were from out of state, Keeshan said.
The flowing beer was not the only attraction at the celebration either. This year’s event featured food trucks, vendor booths, a wiener dog race, a keg rolling competition, a stein hoisting competition and the naming of Mr. and Mrs. Oktoberfest for the individuals wearing the best German attire. AU Brew, Auburn University’s Brewing Science program, was there teaching how beer is made. There was also live music for event attendees to dance along to.
Stefano Daneri, representing Good People Brewing Company out of Birmingham, Alabama, talked about the brewery’s history with the festival.
“We were founded in 2008, when there was only one brewery in the state of Alabama," Daneri said. "We have been brewing for 11 years and this is our eighth year at Auburn’s Oktoberfest.”
Event attendee and Opelika native David Johnston has experienced the growth of Oktoberfest over the years. He said it was a very small celebration when he attended for the first time a few years ago.
"This event seems four times larger than it was in the past,” Johnston said.
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