Oktoberfest

People getting into German culture at last year's Oktoberfest.

Pitt Street Brewing Company will team up with the East Carolina University German club to host its second annual Oktoberfest this Saturday at noon and will have performances officially start at 5 p.m.

Jill Twark, German professor at ECU, said the event will showcase as much German culture as possible. Traditional songs, dances and games as well as traditional food truck, the Rock Food Truck, will be provided by Pitt Street. Twark said she wants attendees to experience traditional games during the event, such as the mug holding endurance test.

“The winner does get a free beer, and so they hold a liter beer mug filled to the brim with water,” Twark said. “Usually we get about 10 or 15 people all lined up and we just time it and the last person with their arm straight out, still holding that heavy mug, wins a free beer from Pitt Street Brewing Company.”

The goal for this event is for people to be able to get together within a festive atmosphere to celebrate the age old German celebration, according to Twark. She said she wants to be able to bring cultural diversity to the people of eastern North Carolina.

“It’s not a high class cultural event, it’s just an event for all ages, all people,” Twark said. “You know, it’s a very welcoming event. Six million people go to the Oktoberfest in Munich. It’s really an event for everyone.”

Noah MacKay, senior physics and German double major, is returning to participate in his second year at the Pitt Street Oktoberfest where he will be wearing a traditional lederhosen.

“I always take this opportunity to have an Oktoberfest as a moment to bond with the German department, to have the students bond with the other students or with the professors,” MacKay said. “Also the opportunity to get to meet new people, I definitely met a couple of new friends last year because of Oktoberfest.”

By participating in the festival, attendants are able to embrace their inner German. By embracing this aspect of German culture, one gives off a proud German warcry. He is a person who blends in with the crowd, but when he wears his lederhosen and polka music began, he throws himself into the event and dances the night away, according to MacKay.

Drew Massey, drummer for Groove Fetish, will perform with his Wilmington, North Carolina based band at Pitt Street Brewing Company at the end of the night as one of the featured performers. The progressive rock band is coming to Pitt Street for its first time and Massey said the band is looking forward to performing.

“We’ve done many events and we’ve done beer fests in general, but we’ve never done this event,” Massey said. “I do know that just in Greenville, at least, there is definitely wild down there. We’re definitely looking forward to coming down there.”

Massey hopes to get people, through Oktoberfest, interested in their music. The drummer said as long as people are out there are dancing and having a good time, that’s a success for Groove Fetish, and that’s all the band is looking for.

“We could all be doing anything else, you know, but we’ve all kind of made it a priority of our lives to travel and to spread our sounds,” Massey said. “We’re all musicians, and at the end of the day we’re all going to try to find ways to keep on playing.

The event requires no payment for admission fee and allows those who are 18 and older into the festival. Attendees are also encouraged to wear the traditional lederhosen for men and dirndls for women. More information on the performance line up and menu can be found on the Pitt Street Brewing Company Facebook page.

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