Each year, Grants Farm holds the beloved Oktoberfest. This year, it was held from September 12-14.
“[Here, Oktoberfest] is basically honoring and celebrating a German tradition that is very much part of the Busch heritage and the Grant’s Farm heritage,” Tara Sondag, Director of Marketing Events at Grant’s Farm said. “First two weekends in September, we celebrate. Basically just bring that German culture to Grants Farm.”
At Grant’s Farm, people that attend Oktoberfest are able to ride the Tram, see and feed the animals, and walk through the Tiergarten and courtyard. When visitors get to the courtyard, there is a variety of German food offered, a German brass band that encourages dancing, and the German Cultural Society that brings traditional German dancers.
“It’s always fun to get the crowd involved when [we] do those group dances at the end of our sets,” Mattie, a dancer in the German Cultural Society said. “It’s just a lot of fun to have people join in.”
The Busch family’s connection to Anheuser-Busch, a German company, is what influenced the German architecture at Grant’s Farm. It’s also the driving force behind the Oktoberfest tradition being brought to Grant’s Farm.
“It’s German here, which is what makes it so unique,” Sondag said. “It’s kind
of an iconic event that happens at Grant’s Farm.”
Although Grant’s Farm may be unique to the St. Louis area, people from all over the country come to this event. Each year, past visitors choose to enjoy the German culture again.
“We come back every year,” visitor Walt Stewart said. “We live in Baltimore, Maryland now, but we come back here every year. We’ve got relatives here and we all come to Oktoberfest. We have been here so many times and done about everything there is. I can’t think of anything I’d not want to do.”
