Mecktoberfest at OMB Ballantyne

Mecktoberfest returns to The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery & Biergarten — Ballantyne on Friday, October 9, from 3 PM to 2 AM, and the celebration carries on through October 10 and 11. It's the annual festival for OMB, the oldest standing independent brewery in North Carolina, which has been serving the Carolinas since 2009. They build their beer on a mix of Southern hospitality and classic German brewing tradition, sticking to the Reinheitsgebot—the German Purity Law—and using only four ingredients: water, malt, hops, and yeast.

At the start of Mecktoberfest, the brewery releases its famous one-liter glass boots, known as DAS BOOT, which are also available at the Ballantyne location while supplies last. From there, the festival fills the beer garden with beer releases, German-style food, live music, hammerschlagen, and the popular stein-holding competitions. Beer is served in one-liter and half-liter mugs, with cocktails, ciders, wine, and prosecco on the menu as well.

If you're not a beer drinker, the food and the games still work on their own. Hammerschlagen is the one where you take turns driving a nail into a stump with a hammer, and the stein-holding competition is exactly what it sounds like: holding a full mug at arm's length for as long as you can. Between those, there's live music and the German-style food to keep things moving.

The festival kicks off Friday, October 9, at 3 PM and runs until 2 AM, with the celebration continuing through Saturday and Sunday. Entry is free. You'll find it at OMB Ballantyne, 15025 Bowl Street, Charlotte, NC.