WASHINGTON – Those looking to have a “hoppy” time this weekend will find no shortage of options from which to choose. After all, D.C.-area Oktoberfest celebrations are in full swing.
Frederick, Md., puts on one of the area’s best, with traditional German cuisine (bratwurst, sauerkraut and strudel), steins of beer (about 20 different varieties), polka music and alpine dancers.
Plus, the two-day festival at the Frederick Fairgrounds benefits local nonprofit organizations.
National Harbor will transform into a biergarten for its Das Best Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 28.
The event will have three stages of music (including polka and traditional German drinking songs) and more than 150 beverage varieties. And traditional Bavarian music, a stein-hoisting contest and wiener dog races will take over downtown Lovettsville Sept. 27, 28 and 29.
Bars and breweries will also join in on the Oktoberfest festivities. Mad Fox Brewing Company will convert its Falls Church, Va., patio into a biergarten from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, and Bar Dupont in Dupont Circle will serve traditional German beers and food Sept. 28 through Oct. 6.
It’s always Oktoberfest at Biergartenhaus on H Street, but the festivities are kicked into high gear this time of year and will continue “until we run our of beer.”
But Oktoberfest is not the only thing going on this weekend. On Capitol Hill, The Barracks Row Fall Festival will offer a petting zoo, acrobats and a performance from the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, among other activities.
Tagging on to the festival is the DC State Fair. Do you bake the best pie? Have the funkiest looking vegetable? This fair may be right up your alley.
Over at Union Market, Crafty Bastards will exhibit hundreds of homemade goodies from local artisans and crafters on Sept. 28 and 29.
In Manassas, the third annual Bands, Brews and BBQ Festival will take over the Manassas Museum Lawn from noon until 7 p.m., and this year’s event promises even more beer and barbecue than years past.
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