Simi Valley's Oktoberfest returns to Lemon Park with oompah, brats and a whole lot of fun
(CLAIR | Simi Valley, CA) — The stein is about to get raised again in Simi Valley. On Saturday, Oct. 3, the Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise will turn Lemon Park into what organizers bill as the largest one-day Oktoberfest in California, complete with a beer tent open to every ticket holder, a live Bavarian band and enough bratwurst to feed a small village.
The party runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 3700 Avenida Simi. It is 21 and over only, and a valid ID is required at the gate. As the organizers put it on their event page, the beer will pour rain or shine, so lederhosen or a poncho, either works.
What sets the Simi Valley version apart from other Oktoberfests, according to organizers, is that nobody has to pay extra to sit at a table near the action. A $30 general admission ticket gets guests into the main beer tent with tables and seating as available, live music, carnival-style games, food trucks and vendor booths.
Munich cover band Hammerstein Musik Bavaria headlines the entertainment. The four-piece group plays traditional polka, tango and operetta, along with the occasional classic rock song worked into the set. Organizers describe their live shows as everything from dance numbers to instrumental showcases.
Giant soft pretzels, grilled bratwurst, sauerkraut and a rotating lineup of German desserts are on the menu, with vendor booths and food trucks filling out the rest.
Tickets range from $30 for regular general admission to $150 for early bird VIP and $200 for VIP at the gate. VIP tickets include free beer refills all day, early entry, a food voucher and snacks. Groups can also reserve a table for 10 for $2,500, which includes table service. Anyone interested should contact the Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise directly.
Proceeds fund the Simi Sunrise Rotary Charitable Foundation, established in 1996. The foundation puts money toward scholarships and youth vocational training locally, along with health and humanitarian projects that include temporary clinics, blood donation drives and clean water programs in underserved communities. The club is also a partner of ShelterBox, which helps communities rebuild after disasters, and is part of Rotary International's decades-long effort to eradicate polio worldwide.
Community members who have attended the festival in the past can expect a day filled with opportunities to socialize with friends, new and old. It is the kind of event where neighbors end up at the same table as people they have never met, singing along to a language they do not speak, and where old friends make a standing date of it year after year. Rules posted for the event ask attendees to come with that spirit in mind: friendly, respectful and ready to look out for each other, since the whole point is a shared afternoon under one big tent.
The festival draws on a tradition that began more than two centuries ago. According to the city of Munich's official tourism website, the first Oktoberfest was held on Oct. 17, 1810, with a horse race outside the city gates celebrating the wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig, later King Ludwig I, to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The following year, organizers added an agricultural fair; by 1819, Munich had taken over the annual event, whose grounds are still known as Theresienwiese.
That royal wedding celebration grew into a major folk festival, and the local version borrows the same ingredients that have kept the original going for more than 200 years: good beer, good food, live music and a crowd that shows up to celebrate together.
Guests are welcome to bring lawn chairs, blankets and small coolers. Pets are not allowed, though service animals are welcome, and the event shares a parking lot with the Simi Valley Police Department, with officers on site throughout the day. More information and tickets are available at simioktoberfest.com.
