The countdown to the much-anticipated Windhoek Oktoberfest has begun.
The festival, 60 years this year, will be hosted ones again for two days on October 26 and 27 at the SKW Stadium in Windhoek. Organisers say they have gone extra miles to make it bigger and better with sponsors on board. Beers for this year includes Festbier, brewed every year for the event. Beer lovers can expect easy drinking, suitable to the season and perfect for the event. The special characteristics of this year’s FestBier are the palatable malty body and a stable hoppy bitterness with alcohol content of 5.8. Hansa Draught and Calmethorn Helles beers will also be on offer with Tafel Radler selling for the first time. For the non-alcoholics, alcohol, there will be beers such as Erdinger.
For the past years, the festival has developed from a typical German festival to one of the country’s most culturally diverse event. Chairperson of the Windhoek Oktoberfest committee, Norbert Wurm, says the diversity in participants and guests, both local and from across the world, has made this event even more colourful as time goes by. “It has blossomed into a beautiful Namibian cultural celebration, irrespective of its origins,” says Wurm.
He adds that, the traditional Kirchdorfer band from the Munich Oktoberfest in Germany, as in recent years will again be this year’s main entertainment. “We have a few surprises up our sleeves for 2018 event. The Windhoek Oktoberfest has over the years proven to be a great family event, with a perfect mix of traditional games for all ages, accompanied by good traditional Bavarian cuisine that is always available to satisfy that crave for a bite of bratwurst, or a salty pretzel that tends to naturally accompany one throughout the festival. It is a celebration of culture, which also celebrates our diversity in showcasing German roots but with our Namibian uniqueness, originality and authenticity.”
The Windhoek Oktoberfest is also introducing a cashless system for transactions at the event. In support of curbing rhino poaching, the Windhoek Oktoberfest has welcomed the Intelligence Support Against Poaching (ISAP) who will have a dedicated booth at the 2018 event for fundraising, in aid of keeping the ISAP operations alive.
LEFA – Local cab app service, LEFA – powered by Namibia Brewery Limited (NBL), will also be ready for those in need of transport to and from the event. Tickets to the Windhoek Oktoberfest are available at any Pick & Pay (PnP) outlet across the country, or can be purchased online through Webtickets. The website: www.oktoberfestnamibia.com can be visited for more information on the Windhoek Oktoberfest.