By Reyes Navarrete, Oct. 17, 2023
The Pomona Fairplex opened its 10th annual Oktoberfest Oct. 6, creating a space for attendees to drink and celebrate Bavarian folk traditions every Friday and Saturday until October 21 at the Fairplex.
The celebration is one of many sister events all over the world that are in the spirit of the original Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. According to the city of Munich’s Oktoberfest Office, Oktoberfest began in 1810 celebrating the marriage of soon-to-be-King of Bavaria Ludwig I to Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The celebration has evolved in the 213 years since, but many of the traditions of Bavarian culture remain. The Bavarian cultural exports of polka music, food and beer are a mainstay of traditional Oktoberfest rituals, and the Fairplex incorporates some of those traditions.
Attendees can expect the rhythmic polka oompah as well as other classic German arrangements from The Rheinlanders. At the event entrance, members of the Rheinlanders greeted attendees by playing an opening fanfare with three alphorns. The group performed all night, playing polka and other fan favorites. The highlight of the evening was “Der Ententanz,” known in the U.S. as the Chicken Dance.
Tom Axlworthy, the director of the Rheinlanders, has been playing German arrangements since the 60s.
“The Chicken Dance was a piece that I think actually started over here,” Axlworthy said. “And because I talk to some people in Germany that are in German bands, I’m not so sure that the Chicken Dance is that big of a thing over there. They may do it sometimes, but it’s really a kind of a U.S. Germanic group dance, and of course the people love it.”
The Rheinlanders has been a part of the Fairplex’s Oktoberfest since its inception. At first the group performed the event on an outdoor stage, according to Axlworthy, but now The Fairplex moved the group into an indoor hall much like the beer tents in Munich.
“We’ve been in the hall and it’s great in that hall, much better than outside,” Axlworthy said. “It’s a wonderful sound. And people can be comfortable in their drinking and singing and having fun all night. So that’s a great thing.”
The atmosphere of the hall was palpable when the boom of the brass instruments reverberated down the crowded tables. In the hall, there were festivalgoers eating, drinking and dancing.
Concession stands sold an array of traditional German food like grilled bratwurst topped with sauerkraut, German Chocolate cake and Bavarian pretzels. There were also southern California comfort food classics like tacos from King Taco and Pink’s Hot Dogs in addition to traditional fair treats like funnel cakes, hotdogs, hamburgers and, of course, beer.
The beer on tap was a mix of Hefeweizen wheat beer from the German brand Franziskaner, specially brewed Oktoberfest Spaten and German pilsners. All the beer was served in either a plastic stein mug or in a plastic cup.
Johnny Palafox, a CPP alumni, was in the indoor hall setting up a pyramid of empty plastic cups from the combined drinking efforts of his friends, family and surrounding table neighbors.
“I’ve been hearing about it (Oktoberfest) since I started Cal Poly,” Palafox said. “A lot of college friends were telling me about it. Once I turned 21, my family, my brothers, cousins, we would come here.”
This Oktoberfest is Palafox’s third time at the Fairplex event. He recalled attending during his time at CPP and another time right after graduating in 2016.
“It was good,” he said. “It was like this, but to be honest, I was like a year or two into my career, but also trying to pay off college loans. So, I was pretty broke. I had like maybe a beer or two, and that was it. But the people you come with is basically what makes the vibe.”
In the same hall where the Rheinlanders perform, a few tables away from Palafox’s pyramid of empty cups was Crystal Garcia, a business technology operation management student.
Garcia was at the event with Bennet Bruns, a German exchange student studying abroad at CPP, celebrating alongside 11 other friends for Garcia’s birthday. They recently came back from studying abroad over the summer in Germany where they learned about German economics and business at the Leibniz University in Hannover.
“It definitely brought back memories,” Garcia said about the event. “I know the other Germans, they were in their comfort zone. They had a blast. Yeah, I think the only thing is I don’t think the prices are student friendly. Like I’m OK, I do work, so I was able to purchase stuff. But I know some of the students, they were limited on what they could purchase because you know, prices were kind of high.”
Bruns had been to the original Oktoberfest in Munich in 2022. According to Bruns, beer is cheaper than it is in the United States, but the experience he said is subjective.
“I really liked it,” he said. “I mean, it wasn’t 100% authentic. It was a little different, but it still seems like the organization really tried to do it well, and it was fun. In the end, I think that’s what matters most.”
Bruns suggested Oktoberfest-goers “get into a tent, get a ‘maß’ (German for beer) and get a pretzel.”
Likewise, Palafox advises people at Oktoberfest to try something new if they have not heard of it, drink beer and drink responsibly. He added, “And if you’re thinking of driving, and you’re OK with driving, you’re not OK. Get an Uber.”
Feature image and photo credit courtesy of Reyes Navarette