For the second year, German Fest will return to downtown Davenport’s Kaiserslautern Square (K-Square) on Saturday, Oct. 21.
Co-produced by the Downtown Davenport Partnership and the German American Heritage Center, the free festival will be held from noon to 8 p.m. at 119. E. Third St., Davenport, in an area known as K-Square. The park is named for Davenport’s sister city, Kaiserslautern, Germany, according to a news release from the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce.
“We’re thrilled to expand our activities in year two of German Fest as we celebrate the Oktoberfest culture and feature a beautiful pocket park many people are still discovering in the heart of downtown,” said Kyle Carter, DDP executive director, in the release.
The event also pays tribute to the Quad Cities’ rich German culture through a variety of traditional Oktoberfest activities and fun for the whole family, with food, beer, contests and live music.
The Chicago-based German polka group, the Die Musikmeisters Band, will take the stage from noon to 4 p.m., followed by the Dirndolls, a seven-piece Alpine folk band from Chicago made up of people of marginalized genders, who will play from 4 to 8 p.m.
Friendly competitions will take place throughout the day, including Hammerschlagen competitions, in which challengers try to drive nails into a wooden stump one hit at a time, and stein-holding contests, during which participants hold full mugs of beer for as long as they can.
Family-friendly activities include inflatable ax-throwing and a bounce house for kids.
There will be plenty of food and beverages on hand, including Fo Shizzle, My Schnitzel from Tiphanie’s, as well as brats and burgers from Rob Smokin J’s. Beer and other beverages will be served by the GAHC with proceeds benefiting its nonprofit programming.
“Good times to be had by all,” Mr. Carter said.
For more information, visit downtowndavenport.com.
