Long Beach is having its very own Oktoberfest festival this year at the Scottish Rite Event and Cultural Center celebrating authentic German culture and festival traditions.
Oktoberfest will take place over two weekends, from Friday, Oct. 22 through Sunday, Oct. 24 and the following weekend from Oct. 29 through Oct. 31.
Festival organizers Jim Ritson, Brett Gallo and Erick Verduzco conceived the idea of Long Beach Oktoberfest earlier this year seeing as Alpine Village in Torrance wasn’t putting on its festival in 2021.
“[It] seems like a natural fit for it with so many different cultural events and larger scale, kind of outdoor events,” Ritson said.
Festival-goers will be able to purchase imported German beers like Paulaner Festbier (a staple at the Munich festival) and Hofbrau Oktoberfestbier. Wine will also be available.
The festival will also include a variety of traditional Bavarian specialties like bratwurst (German sausage), sauerkraut, German potato salad, cabbage, soft pretzels and more. There will also be various German-inspired vegan options available.
Serving as entertainment both weekends is the world-famous eight-piece Festmeister Hans und Die Sauerkrauts Band, who will take the stage and provide live music and performances.
“We have been fans of [the] band for nearly 20 years,” the festival organizers said in a statement.
The over 6,000 attendees that are expected at the event over two weekends will be able to enjoy music, food and beer outdoors under an 8,000-square-foot tent “biergarten-style.”
The inaugural Long Beach Oktoberfest is modeled after the annual traditional celebration in Munich, Germany and hopes to deliver another culturally rich German experience to Southern California.
“Our biggest goal is to make it authentic,” Ritson said. “We don’t want it to be washed down or commercialized, we really want to do our best to make it feel authentic.”
Guests are “highly encouraged” to don Lederhosen or Dirndl in Bavarian Oktoberfest theme, although it is not required to attend the festival.
The festival is open to those 21+ on Fridays and Saturdays and open to all ages on Sundays.
General admission tickets ($20) are available for purchase on Eventbrite as well as VIP tickets ($125). VIP tickets include entry, guaranteed seating for entertainment in the first few rows, an official LB Oktoberfest stein, one plate of food and hosted beer/wine.
“We’re excited to be part of it, to be putting it on,” Ritson said. I look forward to hopefully a successful event that leads into many years or more.”
