It’s time to break out your lederhosen and dirndl, San Francisco.
On Sept. 20, the city will celebrate Oktoberfest with its first-ever “entertainment zone” street party, as officials endeavor to make downtown fun again.
Dubbed Oktoberfest on Front, the free event will feature performances by AlpineSound, Ladyhosen, and Pop Rocks, as well as traditional Oktoberfest games, including stein holding, beer chugging (with nonalcoholic brews), ax throwing, and a good ole pretzel toss. German beer hall Schroeders, Harrington’s Bar & Grill, and Royal Exchange will sell alcoholic drinks outdoors as attendees soak up the live music along Front Street, which will be closed to cars between California and Sacramento.
Although Schroeders celebrates Oktoberfest every year, this is the first time the entire block is joining in.
“We are thrilled to see the expansion of this beloved San Francisco tradition and to be the first city in the state to take advantage of the new Entertainment Zone legislation, which paves the way for a nightlife renaissance in San Francisco’s Downtown and neighborhoods citywide,” Mayor London Breed said Thursday in a press release.
San Francisco is able to create temporary areas where brick-and-mortar bars and restaurants can sell alcohol to go thanks to Senate Bill 76, spearheaded by state Sen. Scott Wiener and enacted last year. A bill that would allow other California cities to do the same was passed this week by the state Senate.
Hoping to revitalize downtown, Breed jumped at the opportunity the law provides, pitching the Financial District block as the city’s first “entertainment zone.” The city has also staged a successful concert in Civic Center and hosted a recurring Indian-themed dance party in other efforts to bring the moribund downtown back to life after an exodus of office workers and commercial businesses.
The nonprofit Downtown SF Partnership has been working with the mayor’s office and the city’s Office of Economic & Workforce Development to bring the Oktoberfest event to life.
“This is a great opportunity to reimagine what the Financial District could be,” Schroeders managing partner Andrew Chun said in a statement provided by the mayor’s office. “The history of this neighborhood is part of the foundation of San Francisco, and we can’t wait to take this opportunity to be a part of the next chapter of the city.”