Soulard Oktoberfest

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  The Soulard Oktoberfest is always a good time if you've got a fun group of people to go with.  They've always got a good selection of German beer, and craft STL beer (Shlafley) is also available. This year it seemed like they had less beer vendors, meaning longer lines, which was a bit annoying at times.  I got the Groupon which included a pretzel ($5 normally) which was gross -- soggy, overly salted and smelled/tasted like smoked meats. A couple years go they moved the location to 3rd and Geyer, which is nice if it's rained that day b/c its all paved. They have at least 3 stages with live music, with some pretty authentic German bands playing to set the atmosphere of the festival.  Liter beers are $12, which isn't bad since they are craft or imported and liters are 34 ounces.  IF you wear lederhosen you get in for free! They had plenty of porta-potties which is always a plus for outdoor beer festivals!
  
  Pros: good beer, good times
  Cons: long lines for beer at times

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  Posted on 10.15.13 Andrew N.

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  Let me start by saying I love Oktoberfest.  I accidently stumbled upon it quite a few years ago when it was held by the market.  I've purchased VIP tickets the past couple of years.  We always had a great time when it was held in the park.  Last year was just beyond disappointing and a total waste of time and money.  First off the location was awful it felt like you were in a prison yard.  It was so dark not nearly enough lighting.  The people who purchased a VIP ticket really were at the disadvantage. The VIP ticket holders had to get their beers on the complete opposite side of the festival, away from all the music and entertainment.  So while non VIP ticket holders were purchasing beers, and standing around listening to the bands and enjoying themselves, VIP ticket holders would have to hike to the complete other side, then stand in a long line and you were gone from the bands and the rest of your friends for about 45 minutes. It felt like the whole time you're walking back and forth to get drinks. The food portions for the VIP people were almost nonexistent as well.  
  
  The worst part of the whole experience is when my husband's VIP wrist band was taken away last year.  We were at the festival for a total of 2 hours. We were with another couple who also purchased VIP tickets.  One of girls that were with us, that had a VIP band had just finished getting a full beer and she wanted to use the restroom.  She asked my husband to hold her beer, his beer was almost gone so while he waited for her he poured a little bit of her beer in his mug; an overzealous security guard came out of nowhere, didn't ask any questions, ripped off his band and said you're done. (Keep in mind this is ALL taking place in the VIP area, the girl is in the VIP bathroom)  The guard obviously knew he was a VIP since he had a wrist band on, so clearly he wasn't taking "free" beer.   He asked 0 questions just assumed he knew what was going on and took away the band that we paid almost $100 for.  Our friend got back from the bathroom and we tried to explain the situation and he said you're done and just walked away.  I totally get people try and cheat the system all the time, (there's even a previous review written about someone who snuck in the VIP tent). All 4 of us standing there had the bands we paid for.
  
  We generally go with a huge group of people; I'm not even sure if we will ever go again.  It feels like the whole mood of the festival has changed.  It seems like they want people to purchase these VIP tickets, and make it sound like your getting this awesome deal, then each year make it more and more difficult to get drinks and really take advantage of the VIP privileges.  They really need a new location, and either scratch the VIP package all together or only sell so many VIP tickets so you can really enjoy yourself and not spend the whole time waiting in really long lines.

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  Posted on 09.25.13 Melissa D.

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  Oktoberfest in St. Louis is exactly what it sounds like....A drunken good time!
  
  It varies from year to year but, results are always the same. There is music, food and of course BEER! I love the bands they have play and the food is always great.
  
  I have bought tickets to be in the tent before with all-you-can-eat German food and 10 full liters of beer and have also gone the other way where I just buy my beers and food as I want them. I usually end up spending less going the second route but, all in all either way is a great way to spend the day.
  
  I notice lots of people dress up in lederhosen for obvious reasons and always love to see all the different varieties of them.
  
  Living Social and/or Groupon have had deals in the past for admission as well.

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  Posted on 01.21.13 Sara R.

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  Frat party

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  Posted on 10.24.12 Luke M.

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  I may be a bit biased on my review - I entered the "Strongest Beer Maiden" Competition, in which for $10, you carry as many beers as you can, keeping all of the beer steins (filled with beer!) that you can hold. While I didn't win, I scored 11 beers!!
  
  "You just scored like $100 worth of beer"
                   - random guy, verifying that I killed it at Oktoberfest.
  
  Deals aside, this is a fun event/excuse to try some seasonal beers while busting out your dusty leiderhosen.
  
  I will say that this year's location has been the worst so far - in a parking lot on the industrial side of Soulard, it was waaaay better last year (in a grassy park) and previous years (winding through the Farmer's Market).

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  Posted on 10.18.12 Sal E.

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  What a joke. First off, let me say that I love festivals, bar crawls, etc.This location may be the worst place in the entire country to hold an Oktoberfest. All the other reviews are dead on. I walked in, drank 1/4 of a beer and left. The entire thing looked and felt like a prison yard... although a prison yard would have been cleaner and less smokey. In my opinion, this event has become nothing more more than a money-grab for the planners.
  
  I used to love Oktoberfest when it was held at the Farmers Market... it was okay when they moved it to Lyons park.... and now its just an abomination. Seriously, just do away with it. I would have been so ashamed if i had brought friends in from out-of-town to attend this, as I had other years.
  
  This would however, be a great event if I was still an underaged drinker. Other than that, I cannot think of one reason subject myself to this.

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  Posted on 10.16.12 J C.

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  This year sucked like whoa.  The location was terrible.  There was a bunch of weird fences all around, and it made it very awkward to get anywhere.  I missed it being in the park by the brewery like it has in the past.  You had so much more room to enjoy yourself.  On a side note, never do a livingsocial deal for a big event like this.  It was such a clusterf*$k.  We waited almost an hour for our "free" beer that we actually paid for through the deal.  Ugh!

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  Posted on 10.16.12 Dustin O.

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  Talk about a bummer!
  
  After moving to Soulard, my wife and I were ready to enjoy the benefits of living where the action is.  We live just a few blocks from the field where Oktoberfest was held last year.  Unfortunately, the officials decided to move the festival to the other side of Broadway in a vacant concrete lot.
  
  I will praise this move in some apsects.  It allowed for more space and more bathrooms.  The lines for beer and food were significantly smaller.  It was easier to move around.  However, we could find nowhere to sit, a problem that happened last year.  Despite the lack of chairs, we found a nice spot away from the crowd in the grass on the hill, a perfect setting.  My wife gave up on seating and decided to sit on the concrete!  Even though we were to the side, drunk people were still walking over us!  It was a nightmare.
  
  My wife insisted that we find a premium beer tent, specifically a Civil Life booth.  We never did find that booth.  We chose one that had the festival beer, but the organization sponsoring the booth didn't run it very well.  We gave the lady our mug.  I watched her give it to a tap attendee, and he gave it to someone else!  We ended up with another person's mug, which had me mortified!  I am a huge germ freak, and this didn't bare well on the outcome.  I drank the beer because the mug looked clean, but it still haunts me in my sleep.
  
  The best part of the whole experience was the Pink Floyd polka band.  I love me some Floyd, and they played the hits and stuff only my wife and I would know.  Polka plus Pink Floyd equals genius!
  
  Otherwise, it's clear that I'm not the only one who had a poor time.  The organizers need to reevaluate this festival.  Because it wasn't happening this year.

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  Posted on 10.15.12 Christian K.

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  I worked a booth and attended the event in 2009, 2010, & 2011 and had a lot of fun.  I had bratwursts, red cabbage, and a bunch of other foods.  Tried a lot of different beers and loved the Urban Chestnut Schnickelfritz.  
  
  I read most of the other reviews and I have to disagree somewhat... I think anytime you go to a festival where there is planned heavy drinking, you are going to see packed dirty restrooms, long lines, and drunk people.  
  
  And for a bit of education for previous reviewers, Oktoberfest is not a German heritage festival.  It is a festival to celebrate (originally a wedding festival).  The only relation to German heritage is the festival itself has long been an important part of the German heritage.  So if you are expecting a German Heritage festival, I suggest attending the Mascoutah German Heritage festival or maybe a Strassenfest.  If you would like to see a minute sampling of the real Oktoberfest (very much minute compared to the real thing) I suggest giving the Soulard Oktoberfest a chance.  They have a lot of great German beers along with a range of home brewed beers.
  
  If you are weary of a drunk crowd and longer lines..... Since it is an all-day event, I would suggest attending earlier.

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  Posted on 09.10.12 Craig H.

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  I had a great time. I went on Sunday with VIP tickets which was genius because they were one RFT deals for 25 bucks. A beer was 9 and it was 5 to get in so it was a no brainer. We got beers filled at most tents and in the VIP tent there kegs that you could pour your own.
  
  I don't think there was as much variety of beer as there was 2 years ago. I also kind of miss the old venue but I think it got to big for its britches there. The food was decent and plentiful.
  
  I think there was a lot of German pride and tradition there. Most of the bands had accents and played tradition German tunes. Lots of people were also in German garb.
  
  I think Sunday was the day to go. There was no puking or frat-ness and no lines at all. It was fantastic.

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  Posted on 10.14.11 Colin F.

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  TOTAL DISAPPOINTMENT!!!
  My friends and I were totally disappointed with the VIP amenities at Oktoberfest on Saturday. We were promised free water and soda and we could not get that anywhere. One of my girlfriends has invisiline, so she HAD to have water every time she ate. Also, both boys in our group particiapted in the beer chugging contest and NEEDED water and soda after that! I had a group of 5 people that all paid VIP prices and we all spent at least $10.00 for water and sodas. When we went to eat, the bratwurst buns were frozen. And the regular wheat bread was hard. The VIP tent ran out of bud light 2 different times while I was there. And the people at the front of the tents didn't even know what was going on (when asked why we are getting our wristbands swiped when we were promised unlimited food, beer, etc).
  
  I feel like I totally threw away $75.00. I will not be back to Oktoberfest at all next year, much less getting VIP again. And I will also be telling everyone I know what a huge disappointment it was.
  
  Beth Perry

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  Posted on 10.10.11 Beth P.

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  This festival is dumb. It has very little to do with German heritage and really is just a fenced in college party... I think Tracy W described it as a frat party... perfect.
  
  Parking sucks. Good luck finding anything close.
  
  It takes forever to get in... at least that was the case on Saturday. We waited in line for 35 minutes. Beers are kind of expensive, but you get a large quantity. You have to pay for their mug which was $5. There really isn't anything else to drink but beer.
  
  There are plenty of food booths. I had a VIP wristband which provided free food & beer but finding the VIP tent was difficult, and nobody in the tent really did anything with the wristband. I just walked up grabbed a plate and was served. No checking of the wristband at the entrance to the booth or at the serving table.
  
  People were stumbling everywhere. The music was lame. Food was average. I'm not sure I'm going next year.

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  Posted on 10.10.11 Chris Z.

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  This is the first Oktoberfest I have attended in St. Louis. Since I work Saturdays I decided to attend on Friday night. Great idea! My friend and I walked to Hammerstones where we caught the shuttle to the event. The line wasn't too long to enter; it actually took about 2 minutes. I think it just took the girl a little longer to realize how to attached wrist bands, I don't think she has ever done that before. As we entered we found ourselves right at the tent to get some beer! Pumpkin Schlafly to be exact. I met some awesome people at the tent and in fact I will be in contact with 1 of them soon so that I can start volunteering with their group at these types of events. I hated having to pay $9 for a beer, but I guess that is just how it is.
  
  After we grabbed out drinks we decided to head on over to the giant screen to catch the Cards game! There were hundreds of people surrounding the screen, but we were able to find a good seat on the lawn and watching the game with so many people was priceless! The excitement in the field was great.
  
  As for the porta potty's; I never had to wait in line, maybe I just showed up at the right time, but I was able to walk right in. I agree with Mallory though-be sure you bring some kind of Kleenex or TP with you or else you might be in trouble. I actually didn't have any, but I guess since it was the first night of the festival they had a bunch of TP provided! Whew!
  
  After the game was over we decided to wander around. I found myself dancing to the macarena?!?! Weird right? And then the Chicken Dance at the other stage?!?! Where was I? I didn't care because I enjoy having fun! Oh, and did I mention that there was a Conga line formed at some point? Yes, the dancing was a bit odd, but it was fun.  
  
  Besides the dancing I noticed that they did have a good selection of food; if I would have been hungry I'm sure I could have found something to snack on, but I just wanted beer!
  
  All in all, it was a fun night and a great way to end my week! I didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't awful and I will be going back next year.

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  Posted on 10.09.11 Mandie M.

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  Supremely important advice:  Bring Kleenex or Toilet Paper with you.  I ended up in the Porta Potty with a piece of scrap paper the girl ahead of me scrounged up from her purse.  Awesome.
  
  I am not the biggest fan of massive festivals... full of drunk people who spill their $9 beer all over the feet of unsuspecting frauleins and brawl with friends just to see if they can throw a few punches while keeping the beer in their hand from spilling.  I hate being stuck in an endless line... be it to get on a shuttle, to get into the event, to get food or drink, to go to the restroom... and knowing that my wallet will be completely empty at the end of the night.
  
  I have made this the year of broadening my horizons... and going to a few of these events that I typically don't enjoy.  I went to Mardi Gras and now I'm recovering from Oktoberfest.  
  
  My friend Joanna and I met up at Lumiere to take a shuttle to the event.  We waited for like 20 minutes and then smashed ourselves into the crevices of the shuttle.  I was surrounded by women with their busts threatening to escape their costumes, and a moronic guy that kept raising his shirt to press his nipple up against the back window.  I think he thought it was some kind of combination of endearing and sexy.  It was not.
  
  We finally arrived and were able to de-bus.  I almost wanted to stay on the shuttle and go back to the car.  There was a massive line to get in, and the event looked like some kind of prison camp... only with beer.  We decided to get in, have a beer and some food and if we hated it, we'd leave.
  
  I got a couple German Potato Pancakes that came with applesauce and I requested sour cream.  Of course they weren't nearly the kartoffelpuffer's of Germany, but they weren't bad.  Jo got a massive plate of food which included a brat sandwich, sauerkraut and potato salad.  We ate our food while we sat under the Spaten Tent with a Strongest Barmaid Competition going on.  I would have liked to have been able to see it, but alas, I am a short one.
  
  We then went off in search of a good beer.  We happened across the Shock Top Pumpkin, and decided to get our gigantic souvenir steins filled with it.  Yum!  I really enjoyed the flavor, and though it ran me $9, I figure it was around 3 beers in there, so the price wasn't so bad.  
  
  We wandered... people watching along the way.  We listened to some music, and as we finished our beer, found that we were having a good time.
  
  I witnessed a crazy fight over who-knows-what, but I watched a guy come out of nowhere and sucker punch an unsuspecting person.  The poor guy had blood dripping from next to his eye, and his lip was instantly 6 times it's normal size.  
  
  At one point, Jo and I snuck into a VIP tent when the lady checking for the wristbands was turned around.  We went straight to the taps and stuck our wrist banded arms into our pockets.  Brilliant, right?!  A guy was standing by the tap to make sure there weren't problems, and noticed Joanna was without the reddish orange band, and asked to see it.  She pretended she didn't hear, and we took off with our full beers.  As we bolted from the VIP tent, I nearly ran right into some friends who I haven't seen in a long time.
  
  All-in-all, it was an interesting experience.  I don't know that I need to go again, but we ended up having a good time.  I loved the traditional "garb" of the patrons.  The food was mediocre, which was more or less expected.  The lines were really long, and the ATM's kept breaking.  It wasn't authentic, but it was fun.  All-in-all, I give it 3 stars.
  
  Happy Drinking... and Eating... and People Watching

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  Posted on 10.09.11 Mallory W.

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  Uber frat-tastic.
  
  I went early Saturday night, and I was definitely the oldest person there by about 10 years, and I haven't hit 30 yet. I didn't get carded, and apparently neither did the rest of the preschoolers binge drinking and puking all over their flipflops.
  
  I have mixed feelings about the event. On one hand, it was nice that St. Louis actually came out for an event. It was good to see people enjoying themselves. On the other hand, the event was way too crowded and understaffed. On one side of the event, the line was 30-45 minutes just to get in. We walked to the other side of the park and got in instantly, but I feel bad for the poor schmucks in line who didn't have this realization. Lines are the nature of any public festival, but this event was just too big for its liederhosen. Way understaffed, and by 8 PM the place was absolutely disgusting. Trash EVERYWHERE, 30 minute lines for a port-a-potty, and 10 minute lines for a beer. We didn't even try to get food, but I did step on a weisswurst.
  
  There was a lot of music, which was nice, but almost none of it was German. There was a lot going on, but communication was nonexistent, so if there was any entertainment we completely missed it.
  
  Basically just a night of wandering around like idiots, fighting crowds, trying not to get puked on, and trying not to slip on the piles of litter on the ground.
  
  I don't expect a festival like this to be 100% authentic, but I definitely didn't leave feeling I had had any kind of German experience at all. Next time, I'll be with the rest of the old farts who go here at noon on Sunday. If I wanted to go to a frat party, I'd buy a case of Natty Light and rent "Old School", or invite my friends over to play beer pong in the garage.
  
  P.S. Clue number one that an Oktoberfest is going to be a frat party is when it is sponsored by Budweiser. Oops.

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  Posted on 10.09.11 Tracey W.

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