Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Supported by

Prost! Oktoberfest is coming to Las Vegas this week

Seven Oh Brew
Seven Oh Brew

The world’s largest beer festival kicked off in Munich for the first time since 2019. Oktoberfest is known for huge crowds, a lot of ale, and thousands of revelers sporting lederhosen.

But this year, you won’t need a passport to don your best Bavarian shorts or have yourself an icy mug of German beer. 

The Seven Oh Brew Oktoberfest is coming to Las Vegas and promising the first ever four-day, authentic German celebration. John Betham is the event producer, and you could say this festival is his “beer-child.”

"I was an Army brat growing in Southern Germany ... I've really grown to love the German culture and the atmosphere, and the flavor of everything they do," said Bentham.

Bentham and his team spent years planning, researching, and gathering together fifty live acts, as well as educational displays and demonstrations.

To add to the authenticity, festival-goers will be able to enter chicken dance competitions set to live polka music, knead some dough in a backhaus baking area, and even try their strength at Stein hoisting. 

Of course, the feast will include German beer and brats, but you'll also get to see a real, live "sausage dog" race.

"We've got 19 pre-registered ... including a senior category [with] four senior dachshunds. We're going to do a series of obstacle courses and races, and at the end of it, we're gonna' have a grand prize winner," he said.

If you'd like to join in the fun, the Seven Oh Brew Oktoberfest is Sept. 29 through Oct. 2 at the Orleans Arena Festival Grounds. 

John Bentham, event producer, Seven Oh Brew Oktoberfest; Ginger Bruner, tuba player, The Ginger Snaps; Pete Contino, accordion player

Stay Connected
Lorraine Blanco Moss is the host of KNPR's award-winning Asian American Pacific Islander podcast, Exit Spring Mountain. She's also a former producer for State of Nevada, specializing in food and hospitality, women's issues, and sports.