Participants hold up mugs during a competition at Oktoberfest on Oct. 4, 2024, at S.J. Stovall Park in Arlington.
File photo / Joel Solis
Get ready for the upcoming Oktoberfest from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday on the Central Library mall.
Hosted by EXCEL Campus Activities, the event will feature festive decor, music and activities commonly seen at an Oktoberfest event.
Though Oktoberfest is known for being a beer-focused festival, UTA is a no-alcohol, no-tobacco campus. Instead of beer, they will have sodas and cotton candy, Student Activities coordinator Lara Debro said.
“Our drink of choice for this Oktoberfest event is going to be root beer, so we’re not going to have any alcoholic drinks,” Debro said.
She said the event will be their take on the German festival, celebrating and appreciating the international holiday.
EXCEL program director Geraldine Todorov said the event is inspired by the annual Oktoberfest held in Munich.
“It’s a festival that celebrates with beer and pretzels and wursts, and it’s just a feel-good kind of vibe-y place where usually people dress up,” Todorov said.
She said the idea for the event sparked from Oktoberfests held in the area. Todorov said she has attended several in the past, and found them to be fun places where everyone was enjoying themselves.
“I wanted to bring that kind of cultural aspect to UTA,” she said, mentioning her Bulgarian roots, “I wanted to bring more European culture here.”
The event will have activities like the Steinhold, where people will compete, holding a Bavarian Stein, which is an intricately designed beer mug, Todorov said. Filled with root beer, contestants will have to hold the cup and whoever can hold it the longest will win the stein.
Attendees will also be able to play balloon archery and interact with a candy machine, Debro said.
“These events not only help bring students together and form, hopefully, lifelong friendships, but they also give students a chance to unwind, relax, enjoy themselves,” Todorov said.
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