Oktoberfest - Does it really work at a theme park and what does this unique setting bring to the experience?
Oktoberfest – a German staple festival filled with the sound of Oompah bands, Ale filled euphoria and topped off with a scent that can only be described as drool inducing!
However what happens when you take this Bavarian Festival and plonk it in the middle of a theme park?
Does hosting Oktoberfest at a UK theme park really work and what does this unique setting bring to the overall experience?
Let’s take a closer look!
What is Oktoberfest?
What is Oktoberfest?
Oktoberfest is a traditional Autumnal German festival (usually held in Munich) between late September and early October and mostly features the drinking of traditional German ales.
It is also widely known for it’s incredible range of edible delicacies (such as giant bratwurst and Pretzels to name but a few), Oompah music and the celebration of the beginning of Autumn.
Despite Oktoberfest being German however, the legendary festival is actually celebrated worldwide in a full range of different settings (our local town hall even has one planned for October).
For this reason it was almost inevitable we would see the Bavarian staple make it’s UK theme park debut at some point down the line, and in 2020 that finally became the case.
What does Oktoberfest Offer?
Oktoberfest offers friends and family the chance to come together and get festive as they celebrate the start of Autumn, and what better location for this here in the UK is there than a theme park?
Theme Parks by their very nature are a family setting filled with laughter, memories and the chance to escape everyday life.
It seems only fitting then that you would take a festival such as Oktoberfest and place it in a theme park setting.
By doing this not only do you have the chance to eat, drink and get merry German style, however you also have the chance to escape the stresses of everyday life further by jumping on a few rides too.
In fact most traditional German Oktoberfest festivals usually feature a few fairground rides too, therefore the transition to a theme park isn’t really as out there as it first appears.
Oktoberfest also features a delicious variety of traditional Bavarian snacks to munch your way through as well as live entertainment and more.
With this in mind a wide open space such as the front lawns at Alton Towers works perfectly and allows for everything to be in one place whilst still keeping things separate from the rest of the park.
This year however the resort have actually expanded their offering to Mutiny Bay allowing for live entertainment and beer fueled good times in a much more intimate setting,
Alton Towers aren’t actually the only UK theme park to have adopted this traditional German festival however as both Thorpe Park in Surrey and Blackpool Pleasure Beach in Lancashire also offer their own brand of annual Oompah stomping festivities.
So does hosting Oktoberfest at a theme park really work?
Ultimately, in our opinion the answer to this question is absolutely!
Theme parks are perfectly equipped for such an event. They already have the space, facilities and the experience necessary to pull of such an event.
Also adding live entertainment to the roster will merely be a formality as parks are usually well versed in choreographing such things (regardless of the fact most acts are brought in from outside the park).
Hosting Oktoberfest in a theme park therefore ultimately makes perfect sense.
By doing so you not only offer an extremely novel escape, however you also get two things for the price of one – a day at a theme park and a visit to an Oktoberfest festvial.
The enhanced experience is bound to please visitors of all ages and for this reason it makes the perfect “Family Fun Festival” as branded by Alton Towers.
Have you visited an Oktoberfest event at a UK theme park yet? If so what did you think of it?
We would love to hear all about your Oktoberfest experiences in the comments below!
Thank you very much for reading!