Oktoberfest will return to The Arts Council's Smithgall Arts Center in Gainesville on Saturday for the organization's second annual event.
The event, which is free to attend, will be held from 12 to 8 p.m. and will feature music, food, beer, family activities and more.
Arts Council Executive Director Pamela Williams-Lime spoke Wednesday morning on WDUN's Mornings on Maine Street about the event.
"It's everything from live music, to more than 27 different beers that are from regional beer makers to international beer makers," Williams-Lime said. "We're partnering with Downtown Drafts ... we have food trucks, it's a family event with kids activities. We have some adult contests as well as kid contests. Some of our partners this year include the Let There Be Rock School, Main Street, the Lake Lanier Convention and Visitor's Bureau, Habitat for Humanity, Elachee, so it really is a community event."
Attendees can bring a blanket or lawn chair to take in the sights, smells and flavors of the event.
Williams-Lime said they started this event in 2022 after realizing there was not an Oktoberfest celebration in the Gainesville area.
"As an organization, we were looking for a way to draw the community to the Arts Council at the Smithgall Arts Center, but also provide something unique and not just duplicate things that were happening in Hall County," Williams-Lime said. "Last year was our first shot at that, and it was a learning curve. It pointed out the types of music that people would like to engage with. We sort of fine-tuned the timeframe that people would like to come out for the event."
More details about The Arts Council's 2023 Oktoberfest event in Gainesville can be found here. A full version of Williams-Lime's interview on Mornings on Maine Street can be heard in the above Soundcloud player.
