Upcoming Festivals | Graphic by Rose Taylor | The Wright State Guardian
Dayton and the surrounding area are ringing in the fall season with plenty of town festivities. To get the most out of each festival experience, it is important to go with proper preparedness.
Oktoberfest
Toast to good beer, food and entertainment at the Dayton Art Institute’s Oktoberfest.
The annual festival takes place on museum grounds and will kick off Sept. 27 with a Lederhosen Lunch from 11 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. preview party.
The Oktoberfest celebration begins Sept. 28, from 12 to 11p.m., and closes out Sept. 29, from 12 to 7 p.m.
For the most cost-saving approach, it is recommended that tickets are purchased ahead of time online. General admission advance tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for seniors and youth. A weekend pass is even cheaper, with a total of $15 for both Saturday and Sunday.
Guests can expect a weekend of entertainment, including many different musical groups featured on the main stage and in the food tent. The list of entertainment is provided by the Art Institute, with the days and times of each.
The festival would not be a true celebration without a wide variety of beer, wine and delicious food options.
Over 50 traditional, craft and international beers are offered on draft, as well as in cans and bottles for each person’s preference.
For those not interested in beer, a variety of wines and some seltzers are available. A full list of alcoholic beverages is provided on the Art Institute’s website.
The festival includes a wide variety of food options for guests, ranging from German foods to Greek, American and several others.
Oktoberfest is very accommodating to guests who may not have a car or cannot afford to pay for expensive parking. Guests are welcome to park in downtown Dayton and take a free RTA shuttle to the event. Those not interested in shuttling to Oktoberfest can park in areas around the event, but spaces are very limited.
Packing ahead is an important part of ensuring a perfect Oktoberfest experience. It is best to bring a small bag to the event, with only the essentials, as backpacks are prohibited. Make sure to pack ID, cards and cash in case vendors do not accept cards.
Renaissance Festival
The Renaissance Festival in Waynesville is the farthest for WSU students, but worth the drive. Held on the weekends and Labor Day from Aug. 31 to Oct. 27 from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., there are many opportunities to attend the festival at least once each year.
Every aspect of the festival takes people into a truly fantastical world. Medieval entertainment, delicious food, drinks and plenty of unique vendors reside at the Ren Fest to provide people with the full experience.
The festival is a favorite in the area due to the many options of activities and entertainment. For Ren Fest beginners, it is important to know what to expect and properly prepare to get the most out of the festival.
This year, the Ren Fest is urging guests to buy tickets ahead rather than at the gates due to the high demand.
Another way to plan ahead is checking on the festival’s website for food and drink options, what time entertainment will take place and having a map of the festival prepped and ready.
The festival offers a variety of vendors with both historically accurate and modern food options.
The Ren Fest is known for being an event where people have the opportunity to showcase intricate Renaissance-esq attire. Dressing up is not required, but may add to the experience.
One perk of the Ren Fest is the free parking that is offered. The festival is held in the country, so there are plenty of spots to park in the field provided.
As for budgeting time and getting the most recommended food and events, the Ren Fest has several recommendations.
“Theatre In The Ground (aka The Mudde Show) presents literary classics with a comedic twist performed in Ohio’s only Muditorium, where comedy meets Earth,” Ren Fest’s website reads.
The Mudde Show is one of many “must-see” events recommended by the festival. Others include the Full Armored Joust and the Cincinnati Barbarians, both of which are great forms of entertainment that Ren Fest newbies do not want to miss.
Although some events and activities are recommended more than others, the Ren Fest caters to all preferences. Guests and beginners to the festival cannot go wrong with good old-fashioned walking around and seeing what piques their interest.
Germantown Pretzel Festival
Enjoyers of unique entertainment and pretzels have the pleasure of enjoying both whilst being able to walk around the beauty that is historic Germantown at the annual Pretzel Festival.
The festival, held on Sept. 28, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sept. 29, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., celebrates tradition with good food, entertainment and several contests for people to enjoy.
A major plus of this festival is that admission is free. Bringing credit cards and cash is recommended, but ATMs are provided on-site for convenience.
According to Susan Miller, President of the Germantown Pretzel Festival, the festival has over 140 vendors, over 25 being pretzel vendors. Other vendors include a variety of craft vendors and food options.
“Crafters include everything from wreaths, clothing, sublimation items, homemade soaps etc. In addition, the food vendors include ice cream to pork chops to homemade caramel apples. There is also pie, ice cream, kettle corn, homemade cupcakes, candy etc,” Miller said.
Students 21 and over planning to attend should bring ID, to check out the festival’s Beer Garden.
The festival also offers plenty of entertainment for guests, the most popular being musical group McGuffey Lane, which will play from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sept. 28. Other entertainment includes the Country Legends Band, Buck the Magic Cowboy, Cloggers, Pat Arnold and the Spittin’ Image.
Additional events and activities to look out for include Master Blasters, a paintball activity for guests, and the festival’s annual Pretzel Contest and Queen and Princess Crowning. The contest begins after the festival’s opening ceremony at 10 a.m. on Saturday, which guests will not want to miss.
Free parking spots can be found all around town. Possible areas to park include the hill at the former Miami Military Institute and the Baptist Church, both of which are located by the park where the festival is held.
Making sure to show up early is key to scoring a good parking spot and attending the festivities on time. Packing water, along with dressing comfortably would be preferable for those planning to stay all day.
For more information and specific festival scheduling, visit the Germantown Pretzel Festival’s website.
Yellow Springs Street Fair
On Oct. 12, the small village of Yellow Springs welcomes over 250 vendors to the downtown streets.
The Yellow Springs Street Fair lasts from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and features food and craft vendors for visitors of the festival to enjoy.
Guests attending have the pleasure of shopping, eating and enjoying entertainment provided for no cost to get in.
“We promote arts and craft vendors that create goods varying from handcrafted wood furniture to tie dye t-shirts to permanent jewelry to hand-painted canvas art pieces,” Street Fair Coordinator Joslyn Miller said.
Miller reassured that there is a wide variety of crafter vendors, but also food vendors, so guests have many options to choose from.
“Whether you like fine art, ceramics, face or body art, custom jewelry, glass art, metalwork, 3D printed goods, or wellness items, we guarantee you will find at least a couple vendors with something you will love,” Miller said. “As for food trucks, our cuisine runs the gamut with BBQ trucks, gourmet donuts, Polish, Lebanese, Korean and Greek cuisine in addition to some returning fan favorites.”
For entertainment, the fair expects to host 15 artists among the two stages at the event. Details of specific artists remain unknown, but guests can expect to see local artists perform.
For those who have not attended the street fair before, Miller suggested the beer garden, stating it is a hot spot all guests should experience.
“This year, we have a full lineup of musicians, two beer trucks, a wine slushy truck, a lemonade truck, and a Celsius rep table in addition to two food trucks all within the beer garden,” Miller said.
The street fair has also taken the stress of parking away from visitors. A shuttle from Young's Dairy is provided to get people to the street fair. Paid parking lots are also offered, but are limited in quantity.
More shuttle information, as well as a map of vendors and parking, will be on the fair’s website as the event approaches.
Additional tips for new street fair-goers from Miller include bringing cash to the event and wearing good walking shoes.
Attending outdoor fairs and festivals is a great perk of the fall season, ensuring that the experience has no mishaps and that guests go into each event prepared is the key to a successful festival season.
