The second annual Winter Park Parktoberfest (Website) will take place Saturday, September 6, from 4 to 10 p.m. at Mead Botanical Garden. The event is hosted by the Winter Park Rotary Club in partnership with Licorice Sticks Entertainment and Hollerbach’s Restaurant.
The festival will open with a flag-raising ceremony and keg tapping led by Winter Park Mayor Sheila DeCiccio. General admission tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the gate and include one free drink. Children 15 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult – they obviously wont’ get a drink ticket though.
Food vendors include Hollerbach’s German Restaurant, Kelly’s Ice Cream, Rascals Rockin’ Beignets, and Rosario’s Kitchen. Entertainment will be provided by the Brussels Sprouts nine-piece Polka Band along with accordion, tuba, Alp Horn performances, and traditional German vocals.
Attendees can take part in games and contests such as stein hoisting, yodeling, sauerkraut eating, pretzel fishing, and a best dressed costume competition for families and pets. The Florida Garden Railway Society will operate a model train display, and the popular Dachshund Dash returns with races for dachshunds and other small dogs.
A VIP Biergarten Experience is available for $125 for one person or $200 for two. It includes onsite parking, a collectible half-liter stein, an authentic German dinner, unlimited beer, dessert, and reserved stage-side seating.
The event also functions as a fundraiser for local and international Rotary projects. Last year’s Parktoberfest drew more than 3,000 attendees and supported programs in food security, youth services, healthcare, and literacy.
