7th ANNUAL DOWNTOWN PARKTOBERFEST RETURNS TO CAMPUS MARTIUS PARK, SEPT. 18-19
Presented by Downtown Detroit Partnership, the weekend event celebrates beer, food and German culture in one of Detroit’s award-winning parks and features live musical entertainment and traditional Oktoberfest games
DETROIT – Prost! The Downtown Detroit Partnership kicks off fall with its annual Downtown Parktoberfest, Saturday, Sept. 18 and Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. The celebration takes place outdoors at Campus Martius Park and features two full days of fun this side of Bavaria, including live music, photo displays, craft seasonal and Oktoberfest biers and fall food favorites. Attendees are welcome to come as they are; Dirndl and Lederhosen are optional.
“After a successful summer entertainment season that looked and felt like the return to normalcy and also helped drive business back to Downtown Detroit, we are excited to celebrate the coming of fall with the return of Detroit Parktoberfest,” said David Cowan, chief public spaces officer of the Downtown Detroit Partnership. “We invite city-goers and visitors throughout metro Detroit and beyond to come down and take in Campus Martius Park’s colorful and festive fall décor, while enjoying this special weekend event that is a popular, local tradition in our downtown and many look forward to attending.”
Inside an open-air Biergarten pavilion, attendees can sample beers and hard seltzers from an impressive selection of craft and Oktoberfest beer, including Samuel Adams, Truly Hard Seltzer, Angry Orchard and traditional beers from Munich, as well as selections from Michigan-based Blake’s Hard Cider Co. in Armada and Griffin Claw Brewing Company that has locations in Birmingham and Rochester Hills.
The following is the thoughtfully curated beer list:
- Paulaner Oktoberfest
- Spaten Oktoberfest
- Truly Hard Seltzer
- Samuel Adams Oktoberfest
- Angry Orchard
- Griffin Claw Festbier
- Griffin Claw Screamin’ Pumpkin
- Griffin Claw Blue Sky
- Hacker-Pschorr
- Blake’s Flannel Mouth
- Blake’s Caramel Apple Cider or Apple Pie Cider (Limited editions)
- Frankenmuth Oktoberfest
- Warsteiner
*All beers subject to change
Parktoberfest isn’t just for adults. Kids, too, can have fun inside the Faygo Root Biergarten. There, they can make their very own ice cream floats or enjoy some refreshing and sweet ice cream by the scoop. Options include flavors such as vanilla, baked apple pie, Vernors cream, cookies and cream and strawberry sorbet. Floats are $4 and ice cream is $2 per scoop.
Food trucks will be on site both days to offer attendees delectable delights, such as brats, burgers, fries and black-eyed pea salad courtesy of the D Loft Mobile Café, from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. Poppos Barbecue will be there on Sunday, offering grilled smokey southern barbecue sandwiches, ribs, wraps, bowls, nachos and also brats that make for a consummate outdoor dining experience.
Revelers can partake in a variety of traditional Oktoberfest games, such as stein hoisting, keg hoisting and keg rolling, and enjoy a full lineup of live musical entertainment on both days. Acts scheduled to perform on stage at Campus Martius Park include the always entertaining master turntablist DJ Invisible, The Motor City Brass Quintet, known as one of the most creative, versatile and exciting British-style brass bands; and Moose & Da Sharks!, Michigan’s premier oldies show band. Saturday’s headlining act is the Polish Muslims, Detroit’s premiere polka rockers who have been performing parodies in the Midwest for 40 years, and headlining on Sunday is Frame 42, a six-member band that started in Lapeer, Michigan under the direction of four-time Grammy nominee Deb Barber and is fronted by two female powerhouse lead singers.
The following is the complete entertainment schedule:
Saturday, Sept. 18
12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. DJ Invisible
1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. The Motor City Brass Quintet
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Games
5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. DJ Skeez
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Moose & Da Sharks!
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Games
8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Polish Muslims
Sunday, Sept. 19
12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. DJ Invisible
1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. The Motor City Brass Quintet
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Games
4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. DJ Skeez
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Cancel Monday
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Games
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Frame 42
Joining the festivities on the Saturday of the event from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. is the Mana Mobile, which is inspired by Teremana Tequila Founder Dwayne Johnson’s famous phrase – “Mana. Gratitude. Tequila.”
The Mana Mobile is the rolling envoy for Teremana Small Batch Tequila and has been visiting towns, communities and cities across the country to “Bring the Mana to America.” It makes its way to Detroit to be a part of this year’s Parktoberfest, bringing samples of its tequila, as well as its fresh chicken, steak and veggie tacos, The Rock’s infamous French Toast served with a peanut butter Teremana syrup. To help support Downtown Detroit businesses, guests who show a receipt from a local business can receive a complimentary snack.
The annual Downtown Parktoberfest runs from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18; and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19.
For more information, visit Downtown Detroit Parks.
About Downtown Detroit Partnership
Downtown Detroit Partnership strengthens and supports Downtown Detroit through strategic initiatives and programs. DDP convenes business, philanthropic and government partners to create a vibrant and resilient urban core for Detroit and the surrounding community. DDP is responsible for programming, managing and operating several of Downtown Detroit’s parks and public spaces. For more information, visit downtowndetroit.org.
