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Beaumont's Oktoberfest - Oct. 8 - Beginning at 3pm - Rogers Park -
Blue Water Highway -
The TubaMeisters -
Jason and Amy Frederick at Oktoberfest 2021.
Summer is officially over and the fall festivals are showing up on our calendars, which begins next weekend with the City of Beaumont’s annual, and very popular, Oktoberfest on Saturday, Oct. 8, from 3-8 p.m. at Rogers Park (6540 Gladys Ave.).
The original Oktoberfest dates back to 1810 when Prince Ludwig, who later became King Ludwig I, married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on Oct. 12 in Munich, Germany. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the event with a festival, horse races and more.
The City of Beaumont created their version of Oktoberfest six years ago and has turned into one of the area’s best attended festivals.
“Oktoberfest has grown each year, with thousands of people enjoying the event,” said City of Beaumont’s Director of Event Services, Emily Wheeler. “People love to stroll over with their families, enjoy the live music and the scenery of the park. It is a great event to welcome the Fall season.”
Beaumont Oktoberfest is a family favorite, offering authentic polka and live music, food trucks and a large beer garden. The beer garden will offer a selection of craft and German Oktoberfest style beers.
Those 21 years and older can explore several Oktoberfest style beers including selections from Pour Brothers, Buckstin Brewing, Saint Arnold, Karbach, Galveston Island, Paulaner, Sam Adams and Yuengling.
“We have a great lineup of local and national bands, as well as an Oktoberfest beer garden with offerings from several breweries, including Pour Brothers and Buckstin,” said Wheeler. “Our event partners, Giglio Distributing and Del Papa Distributing, as well as sponsors like Exxon Mobil and Classic Southeast Texas, help make this event a success and something for everyone in Beaumont to enjoy.”
Admission to the seventh annual event is free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets.
This year’s version will feature performances by the Blue Water Highway, Paul Childers, Mud Flats along with a polka set from the TubaMeisters.
New to Southeast Texas, Blue Water Highway is an Austin-based folk-rock band known for their soulful three-part harmonies, thoughtful songwriting, inventive arrangements, and live performances that are just as captivating and entertaining as their albums.
The band consists of childhood friends Zack Kibodeaux and Greg Essington, alongside Catherine Clarke and Kyle James Smith. They take their name from Zack and Greg’s working class, coastal hometown, and the highway that runs from the mouth of the Brazos River to Galveston Island.
Paul Childers and the Mud Flats are no strangers to the area.
Blending pop, R&B, and soul, Childers is leading a new breed of singer/songwriters and guitarists. Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, he finds a way to blur the lines cast between Stevie Ray Vaughan and Hendrix styles of guitar playing, a Motown rhythm section, and pop vocal melodies.
The TubaMeisters, from San Antonio, specialize in German and Czech music. Band members include retired U.S. Army band musician Al Tapia, Lanie Lee, Al Marroquin, Ray Grim and Richard Wallace.
Food will not be an issue. Food trucks slated to serve their best bites are 1701 Barbecue, Bobby’s Smokehouse, Bread Bus, KO Korean Grill, Mabel’s Snowcones and Mexican Treats, Old West Smoke Company, Rudy’s Ka Bob, Snack Attack SETX, Stuart’s Lemonade and Terrell’s Ice Cream.
For detailed information, view beaumonteventstx.com.
-Chad Cooper, Entertainment Editor