Nashville Oktoberfest

Nashville Oktoberfest is back at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park (600 James Robertson Parkway), running for four days from the first Thursday of October through Sunday. It's a long-running tradition here, and this year it's centered around the beer and the dogs.

If you've been around Nashville for a while, you know the festival's roots. It started in 1980, founded by Monsignor Niedergeses and Jerry Strobel with the goal of rebuilding the neighborhood, supporting people in need, and restoring the church. For years it filled the residential streets of Germantown, but by 2017 it had grown too big for that and moved into the 19-acre Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. The neighborhood itself takes its name from the German immigrants who settled north of downtown in the 1840s; the parish dedicated the Church of the Assumption in 1859, and the area earned National Register status in 1979. The festival sat out 2020 and 2021 before returning in 2022.

Beyond the beer, there's a whole lineup of contests that have become part of the event's identity. There's a 5K Bier Run that takes you through historic Germantown, a Brat Eating Contest, and a Stein Holding Contest that serves as an official qualifier for the Tennessee State Steinholding Championship. Then there are the dogs: a pup parade on Saturday and the Dachshund Derby wiener dog race on Sunday. Keg Bowling is in the mix too. It's a lot to fit into one weekend, so you might want to pick a couple of days rather than trying to do it all.

It runs Thursday through Sunday, starting on the first Thursday of October, at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, 600 James Robertson Parkway.