
Ocean Beach will be brimming with lederhosen and sausage Saturday, Oct. 10 as the Ocean Beach Oktoberfest returns to the OB Pier parking lot from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. “It’s Oktoberfest at the beach,” said Ocean Beach MainStreet Association (OBMA) executive director Denny Knox. “I don’t know of another Oktoberfest right on the beach.” OBMA has hosted Oktoberfest the past seven years, and this is its third straight year in the pier parking lot. Knox said she expects between 5,000 and 10,000 people to attend. “Last year, people had such a good time,” Knox said. “Everybody was in a great mood and the weather was really nice.” Between 150 and 300 scampering sausages kick off the festivities during the OB Brat Trot at 9 a.m. The 5k race is pitted on the beach between runners dressed in sausage outfits, all fighting not to be the wurst of the group. “There’s a group of people that do it every year,” Knox said. “They run down the beach and back.” With $10,000 on the line, the competition in the sausage toss should also be meaty. In this event, contestants try to throw rubber sausages into a pot 50 feet away. There will also be a stein-holding contest, to see who can last the longest holding a full stein of beer — a contest that requires strength and a lack of thirst. “We like to have fun,” Knox said. Admission to the beer garden is $3 and proceeds benefit the Ocean Beach Community Foundation. Inside the garden, thirsty festivalgoers can guzzle Karl Strauss Oktoberfest and Warsteiner for $6 each. And all the traditional German fare — including bratwursts and pretzels — will be at the event to complement the beer and bring back memories of Bavaria. Live music and entertainment will go on throughout the day on the Beer Garden and Seaside stages and will be emceed by Jose Sinatra. The Bavarian Beer Garden Band will provide hour-long blocks of oompah tunes starting at 11:45 a.m., 1:15 p.m., 2:45 p.m., and 5:45 p.m. Other performers include Sublime and Weezer tribute bands and Lobster Bob. “We should have a lively group of people here,” Knox said. For those planning to attend Oktoberfest from outside OB, shuttles will run from 710 Beach Club in Pacific Beach, 710 Garnet Ave., every 30 minutes between 12:30 and 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.oboktoberfest.com.