For two weekends a year, visitors walking around the SteelStacks are met with traditional German outfits, food and drink vendors, and free activities.
This year, the 14th annual Oktoberfest — a festival celebrating the area’s German influence — ran Oct. 4-6 and will return from Oct. 11-13.
Oktoberfest gives visitors a chance to try German dishes, such as bratwurst, sauerbraten and schnitzel. There are also beer gardens scattered throughout the festival, each offering different beers and ciders, and live music.
Attendees can participate in activities such as a human foosball tournament, Dragtoberfest, axe throwing and wiener dog races. The event also features interactive competitions for attendees, inlcuding the Karl Ehmer Bratwurst Eating Competition — in which the first person to finish ten bratwursts wins a $250 prize — and the Steinholding Competition — in which participants compete over who can hold a full stein of beer in front of them the longest.
Ariana Arken, ‘26, attended Oktoberfest for the second consecutive year with her fellow orientation leaders. She said she enjoyed the food she tried and the events she attended.
“I had bacon on a stick in the flavor of hot honey and it was incredible,” Arken said. “I also really liked going to the drag show.”
Arken said she saw many friends from Lehigh, which enhanced her experience.
“The atmosphere was very festive and fun,” Arken said. “I talked to people I haven’t talked to since my freshman year and had a great time.”
Brian Janacek, ‘27, attended the festival with his ultimate frisbee teammates. He said before he got there, he was excited to experience the SteelStacks for the first time and looked forward to trying axe throwing.
“It’s been really fun so far,” Janacek said. “I’m a little bit German, so the appeal of seeing the culture is also great.”
The festival draws local community members as well.
Kelsey Bundra, a Bethlehem resident, said she tries to attend annually. Each year, she enjoys a different flavor of the same drink.
“(Oktoberfest) is always my first and only beer of the year,” Bundra said.
This year, she brought Danielle Heher, a friend visiting from Ardmore, Pennsylvania.
Heher said they enjoyed the food at The Taste Smokers and especially liked the “Gourmaq & Cheese,” mac and cheese topped with a choice of meat.
“I like the lights,” Heher said. “I like the different foods, the different options for beer and there’s lots of space for everything, which is great.”
Popular events such as the Wiener Dog Races, the Pup Parade and Dragotoberfest will return to the Oktoberfest Arena on Oct. 12. A complete schedule of these events can be found on the SteelStacks website.
Comment Policy
Comments posted to The Brown and White website are reviewed by a moderator before being approved. Incendiary speech or harassing language, including comments targeted at individuals, may be deemed unacceptable and not published. Spam and other soliciting will also be declined.
The Brown and White also reserves the right to refuse the publication of entirely anonymous comments.