St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Glenside will host its annual Oktoberfest on Saturday, September 27, from 12:00pm to 6:00pm. 

The afternoon will feature German-style food from Rieker’s Prime Meats in Fox Chase, drinks (and beer), music, bouncy houses for the kids, pony rides, face painting, and traditional dancing performances.

This year will feature for the first time a “stein-holding competition” (also known as Masskrugstemmen), which is a Bavarian feat of strength where participants hold a one-liter stein filled with beer with an outstretched arm for as long as possible.

The day will also feature an hour-long roaming magic performance from 3:30pm to 4:30pm by Danny Archer of Smoke & Mirrors Magic Theater in Glenside. Traditional German Hungarian dancers will perform from 12:45pm – 1:15pm.

Now in its 16th year, the event’s main goal is to raise funds for the Lutheran Disaster Response – Eastern Pennsylvania. In 2024, $14,000 was sent to the organization. According to Pastor Henrik Sonntag, the most raised on record was approximately $18,000 in 2023.

“The Lutheran Disaster Response teams are still there from the floods last year. Coordinator Julia Frank is really instrumental in bringing people together,” Pastor Sonntag told Glenside Local. “We’re trying to support the effort to help people who were affected by national disasters and help them get back on their feet.”

More than 140 volunteers spend Friday and Saturday at St. Paul’s preparing and executing all things Oktoberfest.

“I hope it will be a fun day for the family,” Pastor Sonntag said.

For more on the event, you can click here. To buy tickets, you can click here.

For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.