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Photos: Shirlington Oktoberfest

by ARLnow.com | October 10, 2011 at 10:30 am | 2,088 views | 15 Comments

Thousands jammed the streets of Shirlington on Saturday for the annual Oktoberfest celebration, which features beers from dozens of breweries and food from a number of local restaurants..

While the ID check/ticket lines seemed even longer than usual, the lines for beer seemed more manageable.

Despite the more readily-accessible beer, firefighters told us they responded to fewer intoxication-related medical calls than in previous years.

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Richard Cranium

I’m boycotting this event until they start serving bull testicles.
Newtdog73

This event has so much potential. The major problem was trying to get a wrist band, what a poorly run process. We ended up going from bar to bar instead of waiting in the 1/4 mile long line for a wrist band.
- SARL
  
  Just because the line was long doesn’t mean it was a “poorly run process” at least in my opinion I waited in a relatively long line at noon but the wait time passed by quickly with the company of friends. When I was in line they were checking IDs and giving wristbands before you reached the payment area, which seemed efficient. It’s a shame if they weren’t doing that at all the entrances. I was impressed by the event overall … friendly, not-too-packed crowd on a gorgeous day!
  - Newtdog73
    
    SARL,
    
    Agreed. I guess we just went to the wrong line. I have been going every year since they started, this year however the lines were twice as long as I remembered.
mcerney@gmail.com

Got my car towed after leaving in the garage overnight, what a joke, Shirlington Oktoberfest obviously encourages drunk driving, never going back.
- MC 703
  
  As annoying as that is, the garages do have signs up saying “no overnight parking.”
  - Clarendon13
    
    They do, you are correct..but one would think that a well run, properly planned drinking event would make an exception for the night.
    - charlie
      
      you would think.
      but the property owners/developers are in bed with the towing company.
      if they were asked they would, i bet. but if they aren’t asked, why should they?
- Scott
  
  If you’re heading out to a drinking event cabbing it is always an option too. Those garages are well known to tow early and often
Brendan

Incredibly disappointed with the event. Event was supposed to run from 12 to 7 but they had obviously told all of the vendors to stop at 6. This left many individuals with tickets they had already purchased.

Capital City Brewing is not only a bad restaurant but a bad a event sponsor.
- chuck
  
  The posted and online ads I saw all stated the event was 12-7, but that the beer would be cut off at 6pm.
  - CW
    
    What does one do at a beer drinking event after the beer is cut off?
    - Neighor
      
      Sober up.
Steamboat Willie

Sounds like the event went about as I expected, and that’s why I skipped it.
Arlingtonienne

I was just disappointed in the music this year…we arrived around 1:30 and only stayed until about 3:30 because I mostly came to show my son the German folkdancers and polka bands that were there last year…instead we found a lousy DJ from some club downtown in rented leiderhosen playing what was apparently every mediocre song that turned up when he searched iTunes for “polka.” I know this is (or has turned into) a slightly German-flavored version of your average Saturday night at Mr. Dayz in North Arlington– it’s just too bad that the more cultural aspects are gone.

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