MULTIPLE MERRIMENTS: Alighting upon a single merriment that makes a famous festival stand out is typically a pretty simple thing to do. Mention a butterfly festival and "admiring butterflies" is likely the thing people do there. Talk about a wine release weekend at a large vineyard and "trying the new wine" will be, without doubt, the big to-do. But what's the major gotta-try-it at an Oktoberfest? It's an autumntime party that comes with several moving parts, and Oktoberfest aficionados might give different answers when prodded to come up with their very favorite element of the festivities. There is, of course, the beer, which is typically German and typically poured into heavy glassware steins. There are the sausages and schnitzels and sauerkrauts and meats topped with mustards, and to claim that the cuisine of Oktoberfest doesn't have its food fans is to be incorrect. And there are the whimsical entertainments and recreations, like cheering on dachshund races or dancing to an oompah band. Turns out that Old World in Huntington Beach boasts all of these things, plus a few festive extras, which makes sense, since this particular Oktoberfest iteration has been chicken-dancing for nearly four decades. Ready to flap your arm-wings at the Bavarian-style location? Clear the calendar for...
SUNDAY, SEPT. 13... or any of the several Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays that follow that date, all the way through Sunday, Nov. 1. Yep, this Oktoberfest will touch upon three months, and, yep, it is one of the biggest in the Golden State. Some of the dates are family-nice, some are 21-and-over, and some focus on those sweet little weiner races, so you'll want to study up before planning your fine stein time out. Go on opening day, the 13th of September, and watch all of the proceeds help out the Therapeutic Riding Center. For all of the fall-festive, brass-band-y hallmarks of this huge run, dance yourself over to Old World's HQ.
