Ready to hold a stein, Oktoberfest fans? This year’s festivities aim for big, better

This year, people are invited to raise a glass to new events at this year’s Oktoberfest in Lee’s Summit.

“Every year we try to look for new ways to keep the festival fun and interesting for everyone,” said Jordan Straits, director of marketing and communications at the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce.

“We’ll always have the authentic German festivities: the live entertainment, vendor booths and the carnival. Those are staples for Oktoberfest, but we try to think of new games and extra entertainment to keep the festival fresh.”

Oktoberfest, the chamber’s annual major fundraiser, will be held 5 to 11 p.m. Sept. 23, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sept. 24, and noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 25 (carnival only) in Downtown Lee’s Summit between Second and Fourth streets, and Green and Market streets. Admission is free but expect costs for food, drinks, rides and special events.

About 100,000 people attended last year’s Oktoberfest.

“It’s been great getting ready for the festival this year,” Straits said. “Last year, COVID was still a really big threat for us and we had to take a lot of precautions in order to keep everyone safe. It’s nice to be getting back to our normal way of life this year.”

Normal doesn’t mean there won’t be new things to experience.

For one, the carnival is bigger.

“The carnival was expanded so that there would be more room for the festival-goers,” Straits said. “Last year we saw record-breaking attendance at the festival, and that made it very crowded, especially around the carnival rides.”

The popular Stein Hoisting competition will have a different look, as well.

“It’s crowd favorite event each year and we upgraded it to be more of an attraction for our festival-goers,” Straits said.

Men and women compete by holding a 1-liter stein full of beer straight out in front of them without bending or dropping their arm. The male or female who holds it the longest wins.

This year, contestants get to keep the commemorative glass stein they compete with (and the beer inside).

Sports lovers will also see difference at the Sportzeit, or Sports Tent.

“The Sports (Tent) has a new look and added fun this year,” Straits said.

“This popular tent is home of all things sports — catch a college football game on the big screens, grab a bite to eat and drink some beers, and take advantage of some friendly competition with yard games.”