All you need to know about Top 'o the Bay Oktoberfest...

You can bet on a great time for your family beginning Friday, October 23 at 5pm… it’s Oktoberfest at Tampa Bay Downs in Upper Tampa Bay!  The full story is below but click here for the full event schedule.  Better yet watch the gemutlichkeit here.   

The Upper Tampa Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce is betting on a great weekend of non-stop entertainment under the Bigtop tent for the 14th Annual Top o’ the Bay Oktoberfest – presented by Bright House Network, Cox Radio and Tampa Bay Downs!

Set for the weekend of October 23-25 at Tampa Bay Downs – to provide a bigger and better celebration with acres of FREE parking – Oktoberfest brings the best of Old Bavaria and New Florida together for three full days of authentic German food, drink, music and dancing ... along with a spectacular carnival & midway, a great arts & crafts show, and the wildest array of audience participation contests that the Tampa Bay area has ever seen!

So, you ask, just how did the Top o’ the Bay suddenly become Bavaria by the Bay?  To tell you the truth, we have no idea!  But as for the history of Oktoberfest itself, well, that’s a completely different story...

Way back on October 12, 1810, the event which the world now knows as “Oktoberfest” began in Germany as a simple wedding reception. 

OK, so maybe it wasn’t so simple. After all, the participants were Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony, and every man, woman and child in the city of Munich was invited.  But, hey ... it was a wedding that got this whole thing started.

One hundred and ninety nine years later, the 14th Annual Top o’ the Bay Oktoberfest is a “wedding” as well ... a wedding of Old Bavarian and New Floridian cultures, meshing Old World customs with New World traditions in a festival which has quickly become one of the most popular annual events in the entire Tampa Bay area.

Something for everyone at Oktoberfest

Oldsmar and Upper Tampa Bay’s version of this 199-year-old German tradition is both the largest and the longest-running Oktoberfest in West Central Florida, attracting more than 20,000 people each year to the northernmost shores of Old Tampa Bay.

Why do they come?

Some come for the music, the singing and dancing, others for the great German sausage, the Hofbrauhaus chicken, the Munich-style beer and Rhine wine.  

Teens love the thrill of the carnival and midway; the young ones can't wait to have their faces painted and dance the “Chicken Dance.”  We have plenty of those wacky chicken hats available in case you’ve misplaced yours.

Moms check out the German menu, the arts, crafts and exhibits; while the Dads saw the logs, throw the kegs and hold the steins.

No matter your age, your interests or attitude, you're sure to find something to your liking at the Top o’ the Bay Oktoberfest!

Oom-Pah music to beat the band

A pair of top-notch Oom-pah bands will entertain the troops at this year's event, beginning with one of the top German bands in the South ... Joe Oberaitus & Oktoberfest Express.  Joe and the boys are one of the "house bands" at EPCOT's German Village at Walt Disney World, so you'd better believe they know their "oom-pah!"  You can also hear their drummer ‘Wacky Jackie’ on WNMF”s Polka Party Express in case you need “oom-pah” fix until the big day. 

Oktoberfest Express will perform on the Main Stage Friday night and Saturday afternoon, and are guaranteed to get the crowd in the mood for traditional Bavarian entertainment.

Back this year – by popular demand – will be another of the state’s top oompah outfits ... Europa.  This Orlando band made its Bay Area debut at Oktoberfest a couple of years ago, and Upper Tampa Bay will never be the same! 

Europa – as their name implies – plays a combination of authentic German ballads and oom-pah music, Austrian waltzes, Hungarian gypsy fiddle tunes, Polish polkas … and a whole lot more.

The boys in Europa literally brought the entire Oktoberfest tent to its feet last year … and they’ll do it again in 2009, playing on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon under the Oktoberfest Bigtop.

Folk dancing & waitress racing

For the fourth consecutive year, the Top o’ the Bay Oktoberfest will feature performances by three different German folk dancing troupes ... including a group from little ‘ol Oldsmar!

The Gulf Coast Emzianer Schuhplatter Dancers of Pinellas Park will perform two sets on both Friday night and Saturday afternoon, while the Maiglockchen German Folk Dancers of Daytona Beach will “grin-and spin” on the dance floor on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

So grab the kids and grab a seat ... and watch out for those high-flying axes!!

Last – but certainly not least – is another Oktoberfest tradition which is unique to Oldsmar and Upper Tampa Bay ... the Annual Top o’ the Bay Waitress Races.  Three-person teams will go “head-to-head” in a no-holds-barred, stein-toting relay race, to be held Sunday afternoon under the Oktoberfest Bigtop.  Don’t be surprised to see some real “characters” get involved in this one. 

Again … make sure to get a seat early ... but watch where you sit!  If Waitress Race “officials” walk up and place half-dozen one liter beer steins on your table, you could wind up getting wet!  

It’s your turn – get into the act!

All weekend long, you're invited to get "into the act" by participating in one of the hourly contests on (and around) the Main Stage.  Sign-up early for the Stein-Holding Contests, 'cause you can bet the field will be full when we call the Macho Men and Lovely Ladies to the stage to take part in this contest of strength, endurance and sheer determination.

If sawing logs is more your speed, find yourself a partner and grab a two-man saw, then head for the dance floor to strut your stuff at center stage in the Men's or Ladies' Log Sawing Contest. 

One word of warning, however ... it isn't always the strongest, the biggest or the fastest that wins this event – it's got a lot to do with teamwork, timing and rhythm.  Any takers?

Keg Hurling, anyone?

The World Keg Hurling Championships will return to the Top o' the Bay Oktoberfest in 2009, as we search for a man-mountain or lady-heaver who will ‘toss’ the aluminum obelisk into the next Millennium.  

Be outside the Oktoberfest tent – in the Keg-Hurling Pit – at 6:30 p.m. Saturday to help crown the World Keg Hurling Champion. 

One word to the wise, however – pay attention to the hurlers when they step into the pit and start swinging that keg back-and-forth.  Most of these guys put more emphasis on distance than they do on accuracy, and a wayward keg “up side o’ the head” will give you a headache that a dozen Buds won’t take away. 

To take part in our  two-man (or woman) log-sawing contests, the stein-holding competitions, or the 2009 World Keg Hurling Championships ... all you need to do is sign up at the Oktoberfest Bar … and we'll make you an Oktoberfest star!

Roll Out the Barrel

Plus we’re adding a beer barrel rolling contest this year on Friday night.  We’re planning this as a team event.  We’ll let the kegs loose at 7 pm Friday night for this one so plan our strategy now.  This one should be a barrel of fun!  

Great food at great prices

Of course, what would Oktoberfest be without great Bavarian food?  Have no fear, the Upper Tampa Bay Regional Chamber and the folks at Tampa Bay Downs will be here to serve up the “real deal” – authentic German bratwurst, knackwurst and smoked brats, accompanied by the sweetest sauerkraut, red cabbage and German potato salad this side of Stuttgart! 

This isn’t your run-of-the-mill, store-bought stuff; all our sausage is prepared fresh by Old World skin-stuffers!  And if you’re not in the mood for a bratwurst plate, try the newest item on the Oktoberfest menu – over-roasted Hofbrauhaus Chicken, complete with a great German sides including red cabbage, sauerkraut, German style potato salad and roasted red potatoes.  We guarantee it’ll leave you shouting for more!

This year, the Oktoberfest “braintrust” (and we use the term loosely) has doubled the size of the food service area, and reorganized the service line to help move fest-goers through the lines more quickly and easily. 

Even so, our chefs encourage you to eat early, eat late and eat often ... but avoid the “dinner hour madness” that usually lasts from about 6-7:30 p.m. both evenings.

If German food’s not your style – or if you wind up coming out all three days, as many West Central Florida residents do – there’s also a wide variety of non-German food available at Oktoberfest ... everything from steak sandwiches and “blooming onions” to great Georgia-style barbeque, Greek food and more.

Family-style fun

While Mom and Dad are enjoying themselves under the Oktoberfest Bigtop, they can feel free – and comfortable – turning the kids loose on the Arnold Amusements carnival and midway ...one of the best (and cleanest) carnivals anywhere in the Southeastern United States. 

When, where and how much?

Ample parking is FREE at Tampa Bay Downs throughout the weekend, and admission to Oktoberfest is extremely affordable: just $5 per person for all the fun you can handle under the Bigtop.  You can save a couple bucks at the entry gate simply by printing a $2 off coupon from our website and turning it in at the gate.  Kids 12-and-under are free, but must be accompanied by an adult ... and anyone wearing a carnival wristband gets a “free pass” as well.  Military personnel and their families will also be admitted free with an ID card. 

Carnival ride enthusiasts can purchase “all you can ride wristbands” - $50 mega-band for all three days or $18 wristband per session. Sessions times are Friday 5 to 11 pm / two sessions on Saturday 11 am to 5 pm and 5 pm to 11 pm / Sunday noon to 7 pm.

Oktoberfest hours are 5-11pm on Friday Oct. 23 / 11am to 11pm on Saturday Oct. 24, and Noon-7pm on Sunday Oct. 25.

Getting there

Oktoberfest is easy to find ... Tampa Bay Downs is located about one mile north of Tampa Road/Hillsborough Avenue in Oldsmar.

When coming from the east or west, simply turn north when you come to the stoplight at Race Track Road and Tampa Road/Hillsborough Avenue. Parking attendants will direct you to the closest parking (including handicapped) available…so get there early!  For your GPS just plug in 11225 Racetrack Road Tampa Florida. Or use our handy map below.

For more information, call the Upper Tampa Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce at (813) 855-4233, or check out their website at www.utbChamber.com.