The star-studded lineup for Head In The Clouds Jakarta has been confirmed by 88rising. Jackson Wang, Joji, NIKI, eaJ, (G)I-DLE, and Rich Brian will serve as headliners for the two-day festival on December 3 and 4. BIBI and YOASOBI were also teased, and Kaskade is listed as the special guest.
Head In The Clouds Jakarta was first announced August 1, one week before Head In The Clouds Manila was unveiled and three weeks before a two-day Head In The Clouds festival was staged at the famous Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. That was the second-best 88rising California takeover of the year, as their “Head In The Clouds Forever” Coachella set became the first-ever set curated by a label to perform on the iconic festival’s main stage (as Billboard reports).
“I never really think of us as a label, I think of us as a collective of artists,” 88rising CEO and founder Sean Miyashiro explained for Uproxx’s April cover story. “The label is just a function of putting out music. But before that, we are a collective of artists that want to put out good stuff. It’s about us all coming together, too. And that’s why Head In The Clouds Forever is so dope because that’s just a live, living, and breathing interpretation of what this company wants to be.”
A key piece in formulating that living-and-breathing embodiment for Asian artistry began with the inaugural Head In The Clouds in 2018 at Los Angeles State Historic Park, coinciding with a compilation album by the same name, and 88rising continued to cohesively showcase its artists with Head In The Clouds II in 2019. The highly anticipated Head In The Clouds III will include smash singles such as BIBI’s “The Weekend,” Niki’s “Split,” and Wang’s “Mind Games” featuring MILLI that released last month.
Head In The Clouds Jakarta will spotlight Joji and Wang following the releases of their solo albums Smithereens and Magic Man, respectively. It will also give fans another chance to see NIKI after she was forced to miss Head In The Clouds at the Rose Bowl due to a positive COVID-19 test. Her headlining slot was filled by Joji’s Yebi Labs DJ set.
Two-day passes for Head In The Clouds Jakarta go on sale here beginning Wednesday (September 21).
Joji is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Whiskey and music collided last weekend in Louisville, Kentucky, during the triumphant return of The Bourbon & Beyond Festival. The festival is one of the biggest in the Ohio Valley, covering four days of whiskey tastings, whiskey panels, podcasts, food shows, and, yes, rock ‘n roll (with a little country thrown in for good measure). While the overall fest was a blast, I was there to focus on the whiskey, and I got to try some stellar pours.
Below, I’ve listed the top 10 pours of whiskey (all bourbon and rye) that I was lucky enough to sample. I’ve added my own tasting notes to each of my favorite pours to give you an idea of what you’ll find in the brown juice. I also added a link to buy these bottles. But, full disclosure, a few of these pours were Bourbon & Beyond barrel picks and you’ll likely not be able to get the exact bottle I tried. That said, each bottle has a link to buy the same brand/bottle just from a different source, which is about as close as you can get.
Lastly, I didn’t really rank these. They’re all too good (great, really) in their own way. Look at it this way: if you can get your hands on any of the 10 bottles below, you’ll be in for a real treat because these are all killer pours. Let’s dive in!
Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Bourbon Posts Of The Last Six Months
This is classic Old Forester from a single barrel that’s not cut with any water. When you find these, they’ll generally be a pick from a retailer or bar program. That means they’ll vary slightly, depending on what the person picking the barrel was looking for. Still, there’s a consistency of “Old Forester” running through them all. In this case, this was a barrel pick for Kroger.
Tasting Note:
There’s a clear sense of dark fruit, especially cherry, that becomes stewed with dark winter spices on the nose with a good dose of dry tobacco in an old cedar box that’s wrapped up in old leather. A hint of old dry roses sneaks in on the palate as those spices and syrupy cherry and berries intensify and attach to the chewy tobacco. The mid-palate sweetens with an almost rose-water marzipan vibe as the cherry tobacco dried out pretty significantly, leaving you with a sense of pitchy pine sap and your grandparent’s old tobacco pipe that’s still hot to touch.
Bottom Line:
This was just freakin’ good. This was also the pour I probably went back to the most. It had a wonderful balance and felt light and fresh while still hitting that deep bourbon-y vibe.
The Prideful Goat 15 Years Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Cask Strength
This whiskey is a sourced masterpiece of Kentucky bourbon that’s bottled down in Texas. The mash bill is corn heavy with 78.5% corn next to 13% rye and 8.5% malted barley. That juice is left in barrels in Kentucky for 15 long years before they’re shipped to Texas, blended, and bottled as-is at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
This is classic bourbon with a deep sense of buttery toffee next to dark cherries with a sour edge, slightly tannic oak, a hint of worn boot leather, and a spicy tobacco leaf. The palate hits on a soft ginger snap with sharp cinnamon and freshly ground nutmeg leading to a handful of allspice berries before wet brown sugar and maple candy kick in and mellows the mid-palate toward dark cherry tobacco wrapped up with old wicker canes and pine needles. The end subtly drops toward old oak staves, cellar floor, and caramel/cinnamon syrup with a dash more of that tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This was one of my favorite pours of the month (so far). It’s just delightfully “bourbon!” with a nice depth and perfect balance of flavor notes.
This whiskey from Kentucky Peerless is around five to six years old and comes from one barrel that lets the grains shine through before it goes into another barrel that lets the oak shine through. That final barrel is bottled at cask strength, as-is, allowing all that beautiful bourbon and oak aging to shine brightly.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a nose full of salted butter next to hints of very soft leather, light notes of vanilla bean, a touch of toffee sweetness, and freshly cracked walnuts with a dry edge. The taste leans into that oak barrel with dashes of woody spices (think allspice berries, star anise, and cinnamon sticks), dry cherry tobacco leaves, salted caramel, and more of that super soft leather. That leads towards a mid-palate of dark red fruits stewed in mulled wine spices and cut with a dollop of fresh honey before the (long) finish dries out towards an old wicker chair, a very distinct hint of a cellar funk, and a touch of dried mint.
Bottom Line:
This is a bottle that I actually keep open on my home bar. That should tell you all that you need to know when it comes to how freakin’ good it is.
This sourced whiskey celebrates both Kentucky’s bourbon heritage and U.S. Senators from the Bluegrass state. The juice is made with a mash of 78.5% corn, 13% rye, and 8.5% malted barley (sounds familiar?). The whiskey is left alone for 15 years before the team at Kentucky Senator Spirits blends and bottles this one, without filtering or proofing.
Tasting Notes:
This whiskey opens with a medley of dry cedar, black cherries, burnt toffee, buttered sourdough pancake, old leather, cinnamon bark, and spiced chewy tobacco. The palate leans into the woody spices with cloves and anise taking center stage as soft maple syrup and pecan-cinnamon-butter create a spiced/sweet/creamy vibe on the palate. In the end, more woodsy spices mingle with rich cherry tobacco as old oak, salted caramel, and vanilla cream pie round everything out.
Bottom Line:
This is going to be harder to find but worth the hunt. This is classic bourbon with real depth, balance, and flavor.
This whiskey was distilled at Castle & Key back in 2018. 200 of those barrels were hand-picked for this release to take a look back at the past two years and “reflect” upon the trials they brought.
Tasting Notes:
This opens with a distinct note of tart-yet-slightly sweet cherry on the nose with a supporting cast of butterscotch candies, mild firewood, and a hint of pancake batter. That batter becomes a stack of pancakes with vanilla-laced butter, maple syrup, and a few nuts thrown in, leading to an herb garden full of rosemary bushes. That savory note mellows out through the mid-palate as a dusting of nutmeg rounds out the finish with hints of woody maple syrup and a final echo of that tart cherry.
Bottom Line:
This will be one of the easier bottles to find right now — it’s actually on shelves around the country. It’s worth tracking down because it’s both delicious and fresh.
Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Cognac Casks
This release — from the distillery’s broad selection of uniquely finished whiskeys — is made with Starlight’s own four-year-old bourbon that’s loaded into hand-selected Cognac casks for six months. The whiskey then goes into the bottles with no fussing.
Tasting Notes:
Smoked maple syrup and raw tobacco lead the way on the nose as floral honey, dry cacao powder, and a hint of rum-soaked raisin mingle throughout. The palate turns that cacao into a dark chocolate bar with almonds layered in as a mild, dry chili pepper adds some pep on the mid palate. There’s a dark and worn leather vibe that kicks in as the finish arrives with hints of apple-raisin-honey cider pipe tobacco vibing with old leather tobacco pouches and dry sweetgrass braids rounding out the end.
Where Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select is cut with soft limestone water to bring it down to proof, this is the straight juice from the barrel. These barrels are all hand selected from the vast Jack Daniel’s rickhouses. What’s left from the angel’s share then goes straight into the bottle. That means the ABVs and tasting notes for this bottle will vary depending on which bottle you snag.
Tasting Notes:
This is full of rich vanilla, caramel, and toasted oak, next to a rush of cherry-spiked spice. The sip reels in a mix of that vanilla, oak, and rich wintry spices with a nice dose of bright red fruits and a texture that’s more velvet than liquid. The end really holds onto that vibe as the mild spice, toasted oak, rich vanilla, and almost maple syrup sweetness slowly fade across your senses, leaving you with chewy cherry tobacco stuffed into an old cedar box.
Bottom Line:
This is one of my favorite Jack Daniel’s expressions. It’s just so easy drinking and rewarding. It’s a truly great sipper.
Marianne Eaves — who came up as the Master Blender at Brown-Forman and Master Distiller at Castle & Key — released a full line of bourbons from outside of Kentucky this year. This one is from Kings County in Brooklyn, New York, and highlights Eaves’ master blender status. The juice is Kings’ four-year-old bourbon that Eaves blended to create a barrel-proof expression.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a nice balance of red fruit on the nose with woody pomegranate, burnt orange, sour cherry, and maybe some blackberry jam next to mild winter spices, light cedar, and a hint of dark and old leather. The palate leans into brown sugar and maple syrup with a hint of cinnamon butter, walnut, and raisin before a warming and sharp cinnamon and dried red chili pepper peek in. The end leans back toward the dark red fruit with a hint of cedar and cinnamon bark layered over dry tobacco.
Bottom Line:
This is another winner that’s gettable (from the distiller) right now. Hit that price link below the image and try this one yourself!
Bardstown Bourbon Company Chateau de Laubade Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskies Finished in Armagnac Casks
This bourbon is a blend of 12-year-old, low-rye bourbon from Kentucky and 10-year-old, very-low-rye bourbon from Tennessee. The whiskeys were re-barreled into Armagnac casks from the famed Chateau de Laubade. One set spent two years mellowing on the bottom floor of the rickhouse while another set spent 16 months mellowing on the top floor. After that, the barrels were vatted and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
The nose on his one is deep and meanders through cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and mace before hitting a sweet edge of toffee covered in crushed almond with a dash of leather, dry sage, and some old oak. The palate starts off lush with a vanilla cream base before layering in sultanas and dates with a hint of gingerbread sweetness and spice. The end hints at cherry bark and grape must with a thin line of winter spice and old cellars full of old wood and dirt floors.
Bottom Line:
I’ve had this a few times this year and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite pours of the year.
Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey 13 Years Old
This is the only non-wheated whiskey in the Pappy line. While we don’t know the exact mash bill, Buffalo Trace does use a rye mash bill that’s very low-rye (some say only 51% to meet legal requirements). Either way, the juice is then barreled and allowed to mellow for 13 years before blending, proofing, and bottling.
Tasting Notes:
Imagine sweet tobacco leaves spiked with red peppercorns, rich caramel apples, and plenty of Christmas spices. Worn leather arrives with hints of fatty nuts and dried fruits next to the sharply spicy pepperiness. With a little water, that pepper mellows towards a powdery white pepper, with hints of vanilla and toffee lurking underneath. The end is very warm at first but fades out evenly and slowly, leaving a cedary sense of wood and a final whisper of pipe tobacco smoke.
Bottom Line:
It’s almost annoying how good this is and how inaccessible it has become. Everyone who loves whiskey should be able to buy and try this without the rigmarole that it takes to find Pappy these days. That said, this is just f*cking delicious.
The internet went into chaos on Sunday when Woody Allen announced that he would be retiring from making movies for a quiet life of writing books instead. As it turns out, Allen “never said” he would be retiring, which is a shame.
Over the weekend, Allen told the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia that he would be focusing on writing: “My idea, in principle, is not to make more movies and focus on writing.” The comment was misinterpreted on social media, with many celebrating the end of Allen’s moviemaking career.
Woody Allen never said he was retiring, nor did he say he was writing another novel. He said he was thinking about not making films as making films that go straight or very quickly to streaming platforms is not so enjoyable for him, as he is a great lover of the cinema experience. Currently, he has no intention of retiring and is very excited to be in Paris shooting his new movie, which will be the 50th.
Allen has been accused of sexual abuse by multiple members of his family, though certain Hollywood actors tend to rally around him once he sets out to make another film. It seems like that will keep happening now that he’s unretired. Maybe he should take this as a sign from the universe to…stop?
Woody Allen quietly retiring in 2022 instead of being run out of town decades ago is just another indicator of how fucking bleak things are https://t.co/bC9MSPypaI
On Dec. 15, the NBA and NBPA hold a “mutual opt-out date” for their current collective bargaining agreement. If that opt-out is exercised, one critical part of the new CBA will be maintaining or amending the league’s Draft eligibility age, which is currently 19.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania,”the league and NBPA are expected to agree on moving the age eligibility for the NBA Draft from 19 years old to 18, clearing the way for the return of high school players who want to make the leap to the NBA.” Back in 2005, the draft age limit was moved from 18 to 19. Charania noted this change could become reality as soon as the 2024 Draft.
Among other potential alterations in a new CBA is “discussing measures to allow players to cite mental health issues as an ailment similar to physical injury,” according to Charania. Last season, Brooklyn Nets All-Star Ben Simmons missed the entire year, in part because he was not mentally ready to play. Simmons filed a grievance against the Philadelphia 76ers in April to accrue much of the salary initially withheld from him and settled for an undisclosed amount in August.
Both of these changes seem rather significant. Lowering the Draft eligibility age might notably increase the player pool for any given year, while adding greater priority on mental health is a vital step forward in further removing the stigma of mental health afflictions.
Only one person will receive a suspension for the brawl that occurred on Sunday afternoon between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints. The NFL announced on Monday that Tampa Bay’s star wide receiver, Mike Evans, will be suspended for one game without play after his unsportsmanlike conduct and unnecessary roughness penalties that sparked the fracas.
At one point during the game, which the Bucs won 20-10, the Saints defense got off the field after an incomplete pass on third down, which led to New Orleans corner Marshon Lattimore jawing with Tom Brady and Leonard Fournette. Evans saw this, ran onto the field, and leveled Lattimore, which led to the two teams getting into it with one another. Evans and Lattimore were kicked out of the game, and now, Evans will not play on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
“After a play had ended, you were walking toward your sidelines,” NFL VP of Football Operations Jon Runyan wrote in a letter to Evans. “When you noticed your teammates engaged in a confrontation with Saints’ players, you ran toward that area on the field and violently threw your body into and struck an unsuspecting opponent who was part of that confrontation. You knocked your opponent to the ground and a melee ensued involving players from both teams. Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury to your opponent and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional.”
Adam Schefter of ESPN noted that the remainder of the penalties that will be handed out will come in the form of fines to other players.
Yesterday, a video surfaced of a security guard at Lady Gaga’s Miami stop on her Chromatica Ball tour who just… didn’t get the memo. As ticketholders moved through the hallway, so did the drag queen Penelopy Jean, who dressed up as the Mother Monster. The resemblance between Jean and Gaga was so uncanny that the security guard tried to shield other audience members from interacting.
Jean tells others who were filming in the crowd, “I’m a drag queen,” before turning around to the security guard and making it clear. “I’m not Lady Gaga,” Jean said.
As the guard turns to walk away, he does a confused double take. “Oh sh*t,” he responds.
Jean’s profile name lists her as “Dollar Tree Gaga,” and she is from Brazil. Some suggested she should’ve gone backstage with the security guard, until Jean responded to another user that “it was getting scary actually.”
Under the post, fans shared videos of meeting Jean in other cities, including at Gaga’s Enigma residency in Vegas. “You looked identical to her! I had to do a double take when I first saw you last night. Fabulous x 1000!!” another Miami attendee replied.
Following the viral video, Gaga’s Little Monster fandom hilariously reacting with memes of their own, and some just of the security guard’s puzzled face upon the revelation. View some of the posts below.
According to WXYZ, Bates, who is 18, was pulled over for allegedly failing to stop at an intersection. The authorities claim that Bates’ vehicle was searched, which led to the discovery of a firearm and Bates being taken into custody. He’s been charged with carrying a concealed weapon and altering ID marks on a weapon, both of which are felonies.
Pete Thamel of ESPN spoke to Bates’ lawyer, Steve Haney, who claims that the Ypsilanti native was driving a car that he borrowed from someone else.
Haney told ESPN: “Reserve judgement on this. There’s way more to the story. He borrowed someone’s car, was pulled over and a gun was located in the car.”
Bates made headlines this year when he left Memphis to return to his hometown and suit up for Eastern Michigan. He previously committed to Michigan State before deciding to open up his recruitment and join Penny Hardaway’s squad, but after an injury-filled campaign that led to him never really getting off the ground, Bates decided to transfer back home. He was ineligible to enter the 2022 NBA Draft as he was too young.
Piers Morgan couldn’t resist taking a shot at Meghan Markle during Fox News coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. The British TV personality has a sordid history of constantly criticizing Markle, which may or may not have to do with the fact the she once ghosted him ages ago. Morgan’s obsession came roaring back on Monday as he was joined by Sharon Osbourne in a segment entirely devoted to bashing Markle’s presence at the funeral.
Osbourne famously left The Talk after her former colleagues took issue with her defending Morgan’s attacks on Prince Harry and Markle’s Oprah interview where the couple detailed alleged racism in the Royal Family. Naturally, Morgan and Osbourne went back to that well.
Watch Sharon Osbourne and Piers Morgan team up together to bully Meghan Markle. pic.twitter.com/ODdyA0ZhUp
“Of course, the whole racist thing was atrocious. And it is like, if you were going to talk about it, then say who said it and what they did say, but the thing is you can’t believe anything after that interview because of the 17 lies that were told,” Osbourne said.
Morgan argued the royal family is “of course” not racist and said he finds it “quite hard to forgive” her past criticisms of the family, even in a time of mourning.
But Morgan and Osbourne’s comments didn’t stop there. They blasted Markle for attending the funeral after “attacking the royal family and the monarchy.”
“When I see her at all these events this week, I think a lot of British people find it very hard to stomach because they think, well, you made the queen’s so difficult the last two years of her life,” Morgan said. To which Osbourne added, “At a time when she should have had peace.”
Considering Morgan’s well-known obsession with Markle, the British TV personality was dragged on social media for using the Queen’s funeral to air his petty grievances. He could’ve just ignored Markle’s presence, but clearly, that’s not how Piers rolls.
You can some of the reactions below:
Imagine being so empty that your days get fulfilled by constantly attacking Meghan for nothing,but existing. Get over it he made his choice worry about your own which you have plenty! Her life is cleaner than either of you! @MrsSOsbourne@piersmorganhttps://t.co/HWskZIKojc
Won’t listen but they are airing that during the actual funeral coverage?? Wow, that’s disgusting. Morgan turned critical of Meghan when she turned down his “advances”. And Osborne is just nasty. Figures it is in Fox.
Somewhere Piers Morgan is foaming with anger and is trying to find a reason to blame Meghan Markle for anything his smooth brain can twist as attention seeking.
@piersmorgan really took being rejected by Meghan Markle, pretty hard, didn’t he? His narcissistic injury is just festering away. Doesn’t look like he’ll ever get over her rejecting him. #queensfuneral
(Spoilers for The Karate Kid spinoff Cobra Kai will be found below.)
The fifth season of Cobra Kai (which still has the “Eye of the Tiger”) landed on September 9, and already, eager fans have gobbled up every episode and want more. Season 6 hasn’t formally been announced yet, but surely, Netflix knows (even with their current subscriber woes) that keeping this audience happy is something that they’ll wanna invest in for the future. Yet the streaming service is keeping things close to their sleeves for now on a formal announcement, which probably will come after some consideration. After all, Seasons 4 and 5 shot nearly back-to-back, so firing production back up will require a few more pulled levers than these last two rounds.
Let’s talk about where things stand, though. We recently spoke with Thomas Ian Griffith, who made it pretty clear that Terry Silver’s return was planned out as a two-season arc, and Season 5 ended with his arrest, leaving little possibility that we’ll see him again due to the way that his story ended. Whereas the main springing-off point for a Season 6 appears to be John Kreese (who has more work to do) springing himself from the joint. This actually appears to be the biggest unresolved arc, so it’s no wonder that Jacob Bertrand (who portrays Hawk) recently joked with us about his related Season 6 dream:
“Oh my god. I want there to be a Season 6 so bad. This is my dream, that I somehow am linked up with Kreese, fresh out of prison. We start some illegal ring of some sort, and I go back to the bad side. I’m kidding, but I think it would be so cool if we got a Season 6, and we actually got to go to some crazy world tournament. And actually go to Brazil or something and not like it have it be, ‘Oh we’re in Brazil! But it’s really just a basement studio in Atlanta.’”
There’s also plenty of story to be told on how Johnny Lawrence handles his impending fatherhood, and if he makes up for the sh*t job that he (until recently) did with Robby. In addition, the Kenny character would be worth a followup to see how he handles the fall of Terry Silver, and heck, let’s even here more about Anthony LaRusso, who’s still not a fantastic character but did pitch in to help take down Evil with his tech prowess.
As far as timing goes, if we see Season 6, there’s little way to guess a release date. The show’s been on a pretty tight production ship by releasing two seasons within a year, but getting things rolling again will be more difficult. And not only that, but there are surely growth spurts involved, so all of that will have to be taken into consideration on whether to continue for a full-on ensemble season, but perhaps there are other plans? Ralph Macchio recently expressed hopes for movies to round out this franchise, but whatever happens, hopefully, we’ll find out more news soon.
Netflix’s ‘Cobra Kai’ is currently streaming the first five seasons on Netflix.
Regardless of where you live, late summer and early fall is a great time of year. You probably don’t mind bringing your favorite light sweaters out of storage, you might even tolerate pumpkin spice, and, at the very least, you look forward to drinking gallons of beer and gorging on German food at an Oktoberfest celebration.
Technically, the official celebration in Munich takes place from September 7 through October 3, but lucky for you, there are numerous great Oktoberfest-centered events right here in the USA. Keep scrolling to see 10 of our favorites (including, naturally, the aforementioned giant event in Germany). For many of the others, there’s still time to plan a road trip. We’d drive a few hours for beer and brats, wouldn’t you?
Not only is this a massive Oktoberfest celebration, but it’s also the largest folk festival in the Northwest. Located in Mt. Angel, Oregon, you’ll feel like you’re really in Germany as you visit the entertainment, food, and drink pavilions known as the Biergarten, Weingarten, and Alpinegarten. There’s even a smaller venue called Hopfengarten where you can sample beer from smaller, local breweries. Don’t forget to check out the Glockenspiel that explains the history of the town each hour.
Trapp Family Lodge Oktoberfest – Stowe, Vermont (September 17)
Trapp Family Lodge Oktoberfest
Stowe, Vermont is home to the 13th annual Trapp Family Lodge Oktoberfest. If you didn’t know already, the reason this festival (and the brewery where it’s located) sounds familiar is that it’s the same family made famous in the musical The Sound of Music. This festival is held every year at the von Trapp Brewing Bierhall and features both German and Austrian beers, live music, and countless mouthwatering German and Austrian food items.
The Denver Oktoberfest – Denver (September 16-18 and September 23-25)
The Denver Oktoberfest
If you’ve ever been to the Great American Beer Festival, you know the folks in Denver know how to throw a beer-fueled celebration. Well, the city has been throwing its annual Oktoberfest festival for almost 50 years. On top of the expected vast beer and food selections, this event also includes fan favorite events like keg bowling, stein hoisting, a costume contest, and the “Long Dog Derby,” featuring an always entertaining dachshund race.
The largest Oktoberfest celebration in the US takes place in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Started in 1974, it’s expected to draw more than 700,000 people this year. It all begins with the yearly “Running of the Wieners,” a race featuring 100 dachshunds dressed up as sausages. It’s a beer and food lover’s dream with the likes of strudel, soft pretzels, bratwurst, and all the beer you can drink.
Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest – Big Bear Lake, California (Weekends from September 10-November 5)
Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest
If you find yourself near the mountains of Southern California, you’d be remiss if you didn’t take in the Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest when it kicks off on September 17. Held for the last 52 years, it’s an idyllic, nature-filled setting to enjoy polka, brats, and a frosty, giant beer stein (or three). The event is home to four different beer gardens and two full-service bars, as well as music venues, and traditional pretzels, sausages, and various other foods and drinks.
Samuel Adams Octoberfest – Boston (September 23-25)
Samuel Adams Octoberfest
Samuel Adams makes one of the most popular Oktoberfest-style beers in America so it’s no surprise to the iconic brewery throws a festival to celebrate it (and many other beers) in Boston each year. In true Boston fashion, on top of stein hoisting contests, live music, and special beer releases, there’s a cavalcade of food trucks including Cousins Maine Lobster Food Truck. Beer and lobster rolls, what could be better?
Oktoberfest USA – La Crosse, Wisconsin (September 29-October 1)
Oktoberfest USA
Even if you know very little about Wisconsin, you probably know that they make great beer and comforting food. The longest-running Oktoberfest celebration in the Midwest, this event has been held in La Crosse, Wisconsin since 1961. Featuring local, national, and global beer offerings including New Glarus, Surly, Founders, Spaten, and countless more, all the traditional German food you can imagine, and contests like stein races, barrel roll, grain toss, stein holding, and of course the tapping of the Samuel Adams Golden Keg, this is a can’t-miss event.
Leavenworth Oktoberfest – Wenatchee, Wisconsin (September 30-October 1, October 7-8, and October 14-15)
Leavenworth Oktoberfest
Usually held in the Bavarian-style village of the same name, this year’s Leavenworth Oktoberfest is being held in nearby picturesque Wenatchee, Washington at the Town Toyota Center. It all starts with the ceremonial tapping of the keg. But this is the Oktoberfest event for music fans as it features bands all day long along with authentic Oktoberfest beer, bratwurst, pork ribs, and other delicious food.
Four Peaks Oktoberfest – Phoenix, Arizona (October 7-9)
Four Peaks Oktoberfest
This year marks the 49th anniversary of the Phoenix area’s Four Peaks Oktoberfest. This is the premiere beer and food-fueled Oktoberfest celebration in the Southwest and even has a full carnival with rides and games, multiple music stages, dachshund races, random polka dancing, and all the Oompa music you can tolerate. Also, if you can manage to keep your beer and brats down, you can run in the event’s 10K, 5K, or one mile “Oktoberfest Runnin’ for the Brats.”
Obviously, if you’re going to visit one Oktoberfest celebration, make it the official one. Though if you haven’t already purchased tickets for this epic beer-fueled event, you’re probably not going to now. This 16-day festival begins on September 17 and features more German beer than you could ever imagine, giant pretzels, sausages, and a lot of lederhosen. It’s by far the biggest and longest celebration in the world.
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