Wakefield’s Oktoberfest celebration, Saturday

Wakefield’s Oktoberfest on Saturday, Oct. 15, will bring an all-ages cultural experience downtown, with three stages for multiple bands and entertainers, costumed characters for the kids and an authentic German biergarten with local brews, Bavarian pretzels and bratwurst.

The festival, from noon to 11 p.m., is held among the shops and restaurants along historic Main Street, with most of the action at the biergarten behind PHIL’S Main Street Grill and at the outdoor stage at The Contemporary Theater along the Saugatucket River, where visitors can enjoy the final RiverFire of the season.

A portion of Main Street, from Robinson Street to Kenyon Avenue, will be closed to vehicles from noon to 5 p.m. to make room for artisans, street performers and outdoor sales by downtown merchants. Free transportation is available around downtown and Peace Dale for easy access to the fun. Tickets are $10 at the event or online at https://www.contemporarytheatercompany.com/. Kids 10 and under are free.

“Every Oktoberfest brings different attractions downtown,” says Kenny Tetzner, owner of PHIL’S Main Street Grill. “We like to mix it up every year while keeping the most popular acts and German food people love.” Wakefield Idol contestants and past winners, and three bands – Purple Honey, who will play the classics along with reggae, rock, jazz and pop, and Guess Method, Motif magazine’s best jam band of 2022, who will close out the evening.

Children can enjoy princesses Elsa and Anna from Disney’s Frozen, the Union Fire District’s Touch-a-Truck program for the kids, Big Nazo puppets, costumed characters, bucket drummers and more.

The biergarten gets lively after dark, but it all starts at 1 p.m. with the traditional tapping of the keg. The event will be followed by a short Münchner Kindl (Munich child) parade, accompanied by the Providence Drum Troupe. The Munich child is the longtime mascot for Munich’s Oktoberfest. In Germany, the mascot is a robed young woman riding horseback holding a huge beer stein. In Wakefield, the Münchner Kindl will toss candy to the crowd from a hoisted barrel.

Competitive games are on tap as well ­­– a traditional stein holding contest and hands-free Bavarian pretzel-eating, among others. More tradition comes from the oompah Hofbräu Spieler Band. Enjoy authentic bratwurst and sauerkraut, schnitzel, apple cider, sausage and peppers, pretzels and beer. Whalers Brewing Company and Chair 2 will be there, and German pilsners and wheat beers will be served on tap. Wine is also available. Burgers, hot dogs, chicken, French fries and kettle corn will be offered too.

Dancing covers the map. Look for the S.G.T.V. Alpenblumen Schuhplattler Dancers performing traditional Bavarian steps, stomps and claps, Providence’s The TropiGals, known for their vintage tap and old-time Hollywood dancing, and the Ladies of the Rolling Pin, who put a twist on traditional English dancing and yes, rolling pins are involved.

“We enjoy helping create cultural activities like Oktoberfest – it’s what we’re all about,” says Tammy Brown, the Contemporary Theater Company’s artistic director. “Bringing local and regional acts to the community is a fun way to celebrate everything we love about Main Street, South Kingstown and South County.”

The celebration is presented by PHIL’S Main Street Grill and the Contemporary Theater Company, who ask patrons to consider making food donations to the Jonnycake Center.

Parking and Transportation information: Oktoberfest vehicles will run a continuous loop through area parking lots including municipal lots along Main Street, High Street and Columbia Street, stopping at Wakefield Elementary, town hall, Peace Dale municipal lot and the high school parking lot on Columbia Street. Alternative transportation is available through RIPTA (Route 66), and cyclists and walkers can use the William C. O’Neill bike path for direct access to the event.