TULSA, Okla. — Starting on Thursday, Oktoberfest is open to the masses! It's four days of Bavarian culture at River West Festival Park.
This year marks the 43rd year the beloved festival is hosted in Tulsa. 2 News learns that it takes a group of more than 100 people the entire year to plan out the logistics over those four days.
"The logistics of it are beyond impressive,” Ryan Howell, Tulsa Oktoberfest volunteer, said. “And every year we try to kick it up a notch, make it more authentic.”
There will be, of course, hundreds of varieties of beer, vendors, and lots of food from the likes of Siegi's Sausage Factory and Ludger's Bavarian Cakery.
You will notice the new custom-made wood structures down the main stretch.
“So, this year, we had custom-built cedar pavilions for a lot of our food vendors and our VIP check-in,” Howell said. “The aesthetic to kind of reflect on like, what it is like to be in an Oktoberfest in Bavaria. And so, we have these new, beautiful structures that we've built around. And you'll see those out here, just to add to the beauty of the festival and, you know, makes that ticket price worth it.”
Howell says he's just a volunteer, but if you've ever been to Oktoberfest then you know him as the man in charge of making sure everyone has a good time with games.
"We have Karbach games, we do a beer barrel race contest, we do a mass Kreug relay," says Howell. "We also do the iconic stein hoist challenge, but we're introducing a new game this year that we're very excited about."
The event is also still looking for nighttime volunteers. It's a four-hour shift that gets you a t-shirt, a volunteer pin, and free admission to another day of Oktoberfest, as well as a $30 voucher to use anywhere during the event.
For those who have visited Tulsa Oktoberfest in the past, the map looks very similar, with some differences. Find the map here.
There is no parking near the event. You can only get to Oktoberfest by bus, ride shares, or ride a bike or scooter if you don't want to walk.
“We don't have onsite parking anymore,” Howell said. “There's been some development of housing and stuff like that, and the construction of the dam so all of the parking has gone away. But don't worry, we have a free shuttle service…And the best part is the shuttle service is called the Schnelle Fahrt.”
The Schnelle Fahrt runs 30 minutes before the start of the festival each day and ends when everyone is back in their vehicles. Find the locations here..
The ticket prices range from $15 to more than $150, depending on the package you want. Tickets to Oktoberfest can be found online on the event's official website.
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