The annual Oktoberfest celebration will transform Squaw Valley’s village into a miniature Bavaria on Saturday, Sept. 27. The event will include Bavarian music, authentic German beer and food, the ever-popular Oktoberfest Games, and plenty of family fun.
Squaw Valley’s event is modeled after the original Oktoberfest, a 16-day annual festival held in Munich, Germany. Guests can enjoy traditional German entertainment including performances by Joe Smiell and his 20-piece Bavarian band with the Almenrauch Schuhplattler Bavarian Folk Dancers on the main stage. Additional music and dancing will take place on the First Street stage with the Alpentanzer Schuhplattler Austrian Dance Troop accompanied by the Alpentanz Kapelle band.
Beer lovers can toast each other in the Village-wide Biergarten, where they will find a wide selection of authentic German brews with sing and dance along music from an on-site DJ. The first beer, sold in a commemorative festival mug, is $10. Additional beers will be available for $5. All proceeds from beer sales benefiting the High Sierra Lacrosse Foundation.
In addition to the live music and beer tasting in Lake Tahoe, event attendees can compete for prizes in the Oktoberfest Games. Intensity is high as festival-goers compete in the stein holding competition, keg-rolling race and the bratwurst toss. The games are just as much fun to watch as they are to play, and guests are encouraged to further get into the spirit of the event by wearing traditional lederhosen and dirndls.
In celebration of Oktoberfest, village restaurants will serve traditional German bratwurst with sauerkraut and other traditional fare, while the Truckee Sourdough Company serves freshly-baked pretzels to satiate any Munich appetite. Oktoberfest also features a root beer float station for the kids – the perfect way to start or finish off the day.
Entrance to The Village at Squaw Valley’s Oktoberfest celebration and entertainment are free. Festival goers must be 21 years or older with a valid ID to purchase beer. No outside alcohol will be permitted.
