There are many seasonal events scattered throughout the year, but only October has two festivities truly dedicated to fun. The 31-day span closes with Halloween. However, it’s the opening salvo of Oktoberfest that gets most adults in the party mood. This year, Ocean Beach hosts its 7th such annual event, expanding the fun to encompass two days of festivities. On Friday, Oct. 7, visitors will have a single stage at the foot of Newport, beginning at 4:30 p.m., which also features a beer garden and a “Band Slam” competition to pick the best cover or tribute band in the area. A full day of fun and frolic is planned for Saturday, Oct. 8 beginning at 10 a.m. and spreading over two stages. The main stage will be hosted by inimitable local personality and crooner Jose Sinatra, and includes sets from the Electric Waste Band, Tommy Cubs, The Heavy Guilt, the Naked Funk, Bateke Beat, Tribal Theory and — between sets — the Bavarian Beer Garden Band. At the same time, a host of oompah bands and entertainers will take part on a second seaside stage on Abbott Street, featuring Lobster Bob and world music favorites Todo Mundo. Other activities include a Sausage Toss with a $10,000 top prize, as well as stein-holding contests and a bratwurst-eating competition. Visitors worried about parking are encouraged to take a shuttle that will run every half hour between the event and Pacific Beach nightspot the 710 Beach Club. Alternately, there will be a special bicycle parking area. There is a $3 charge to enter the beer garden area, but other than that, outdoor events are free. Funds raised go to help fund the Ocean Beach MainStreet Association (OBMA) and the Ocean Beach Community Foundation. Since its inception in 2004, Oktoberfest has raised more than $150,000. According to OBMA creative director Liz Greene, the OB Oktoberfest is a perfect outing for people of all ages. “It’s inexpensive,” Greene said. “Some events you have to pay $25 just to get in the door. This is a nice event because you can spend nothing or just spend a few dollars and just have fun.” Greene said the decision to expand to two days instead of one was twofold: to increase the weekend’s fun quotient and for more pragmatic causes. “It’s so expensive to rent everything for one day, and it’s a very small event in comparison to, say, the Ocean Beach Street Fair [and Chili Cook-Off],” she said. “So we thought we’d do this music part of it on Friday night. It sounds like a fun idea. We’ll see how it goes, see if we can roll it into a whole weekend.” Greene said she even forsees a possible further expansion down the line. “I’d love to find something on Sunday to do in future years that might involve restaurants or so on, that would tie the whole weekend together,” she said. Ocean Beach Oktoberfest: Friday and Saturday, Oct. 7 and 8 at the foot of Newport Avenue. All ages. For more information, visit www.oboktoberfest.com.
