Oktoberfest 2017
September 29 – October 8
Oktoberfest began as a wedding celebration. In the fall of 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria was married. The celebration continued for two weeks and the idea of it has lasted for over 200 years!
While most people associate Oktoberfest with lots of beer drinking, it’s always been a carnival-like celebration in Germany. There are rides and games and Munich holds the annual poster contest (an idea we’ve borrowed! Click here for contest guidelines). The foods that you will see on every corner at Oktoberfest include Roast or Rotisserie Chicken, Pretzels and, of course, sausages.
We’ve got all those food and great German beer too! (click here for Oktoberfest food specials menu) So join in the fun this fall at the Black Forest Inn! See below for details & schedule of events.
Grand Prize Drawing TBA!
DAY ONE – Friday September 29, 2017
Prost! Night
The Theme:
The best way to start Oktoberfest is with a toast! Celebrate fall, beer, and each other with a toast. We’ll have some for you to read, or make up your own. Standing up to toast is encouraged. Speaking from the heart is essential. Rhyming is optional. Prizes will be awarded for exceptional toasts.
The Schedule:
6:00 – 7:30pm Alphorns – the Matterhorn Trio will play outside in our beer garden
7:30 Ceremonial Keg Tapping & restaurant-wide toast
7:30 – 9:30 Toasting!
7:30 – 9:30pm Live music! TBA
The Extras:
Hacker-Pschorr Night! Buy any Hacker-Pschorr beer and get a logo glass for $1 (while supplies last; one per customer)
Poster and Menu Cover Contest winner unveiled.
Get your picture taken with the giant pretzel
DAY TWO – Saturday September 30, 2017
Tie the Knot Night
The Theme:
As you know, originally Oktoberfest was a wedding celebration. So we’re going back to its roots and honoring the original Oktoberfest tonight. Get married! Renew your vows! Celebrate your anniversary! We have all the fixin’s: ministers, flowers, bridesmaids, wedding cake, and an atmosphere of love.**
The Schedule:
6:30 – 9:00pm Live music! TBA
7:00 pm The Wedding – yes! It’s real!
All day weddings & vow renewals
The Extras:
**Seriously, you could have your wedding here. Call us.
DAY THREE – Sunday, October 1, 2017
Is Your German Better Than a 5th Grader’s?
The theme:
The German language isn’t that hard! It’s pretty much phonetic and it’s fun to speak. There’s kids all over Germany who speak German! So you should be able to, also!
The schedule:
12:00 – 8:00pm Practice your German! Be challenged by a 5th grader!
6:30 – 9:00pm Live music! Mark Stillman on accordion
The extras:
Kids from the Twin Cities German Immersion School will be here to school you in German.
20% of our food sales today will go to support the Amity Aid program at the Twin Cities German Immersion School. This program brings young German teachers here to work for up to a year with students in the Twin Cities.
DAY FOUR – Monday October 2, 2017
The Wurst Night of Oktoberfest
The Theme:
We’ll celebrate sausages with sausage specials, mustards galore and fantastic sausage-enhancing condiments. Order the “brat bar” and choose your sausages and sides. Swim in sauerkraut. Pile your plate with pickles. Relish some relish. You deserve our best. We’ll give you our wurst.
Brat bar includes: Handmade bratwurst, Handmade chicken curry sausage, Weisswurst, Polish sausage, celery relish, fried peppers, fried onions, sauerkraut, homemade Bavarian Sweet mustard, Maple mustard, Horseradish sauerkraut sauce, Curry ketchup, rye bread, potato salad, red cabbage and pickles. All that sausage goodness for $16.25 Also included: Unterberg! (because you might need a digestiv after all that sausage goodness)
The Schedule:
Brat Bar 5:00pm – 10:00pm
6:30 – 9:00pm Live music! Mark Stillman on accordion!
The Extras:
Bring your tuba and get a free beer. You may be required to play your tuba to earn the beer.
DAY FIVE – Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Reunification Day
The Theme:
This is a real German holiday – celebrating the return to one unified Germany. In honor of Reunification Day, we are helping foster other, smaller reunifications. We’ll have cards and envelopes for you to address to a long lost relative, an old friend, a seldom seen neighbor or anyone else. The card says “Let’s Reunify!” and enclosed is a five dollar gift certificate to the Black Forest Inn, good for one year. Plenty of time to plan your own reunification!
The Schedule:
All day! Reunification cards available
6:30 – 9:00 Live music! Dale and Samuel Dahmen on accordion and concertina!
The Extras:
Prizes! Win a piece of the Berlin Wall!
We pushed the tables together. Get it? We re-unified them.
DAY SIX – Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Grimm Night
The Theme:
In our Forest, we’ve got food & beer. In other forests, magic and mystery lurk. Join us for a celebration of creatures and cures, of witches to watch out for and the monster within us. Don’t forget to leave a trail of breadcrumbs so you can find your way home again…
The Schedule:
6:30 – 9:00pm Live Music! Andy McCormick on accordion
The Extras:
Dry ice in the fountain!
DAY SEVEN – Thursday, October 5, 2017
Dumpling Night
The Theme:
We’re not taking any sides in any ongoing dumpling wars. There’re all delicious to us! We’ll have the best and the biggest, the fluffiest and the heartiest, a-meal-in-itselfers and the dessert type dumplings. The Dumpling Appreciation Society meets here today!
The schedule:
6:30 – 9:00pm Live music! TBA
The extras:
Dumplin’ Chunkin’
Dumpling (food) specials
DAY EIGHT – Friday, October 6, 2017
Yodeling Night
The Theme:
We’re going crazy tonight, Alpine-style! Yo! Yo! Yo-de-lay-hee-hoo!
The Schedule:
6:00 – 9:00pm Yodeling and stuff
The extras:
Yodeling karoke
Beer yodels
DAY NINE – Saturday October 7, 2017
Fake German Accent Night
The Theme:
It is what it is, people. You vill haf fun!
The Schedule:
6:30 – 9:00pm Live music! Andy McCormick on accordion!
6:00 – 9:30 Actors roaming around speaking in fake German accents
The Extras:
Paulaner Night! Buy any Paulaner beer and get a logo stein for $1 (while supplies last; one per customer)
Win prizes! We’re giving away a 5 Liter ceramic Paulaner mug! Wow!
DAY TEN – Sunday October 8, 2017
Drain the Keg Night
The Theme:
We don’t want to lug any barrels home with us after the party so we’re going to start dropping the price of beer at 2pm and keep dropping it until the beer is gone. Seriously.
The Schedule:
2:00 pm – 8:00 pm Price on ½ liters of beer drops 0.25 per hour
6:30 – 9:00 pm Live music! Mark Stillman on accordion!
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Price on ½ liters of beer drops 0.50 per hour
The Extras:
When the keg goes, the boot (or glass or t-shirt or mug) goes! Prizes for the person who ordered the beer that blew the keg. There’s 18 beers on tap, folks!
