Bockfest, Cincinnati’s annual celebration of Spring, the area’s brewing heritage and bock beer, LEAPS into its 28thyear, February 28-March 1 in downtown Cincinnati and the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.
Admission to enjoy bock beer, music and entertainment is free. Get the full schedule atwww.bockfest.com, along with ticket and paid package details for tours, food, and additional fun. Participating bars and restaurants will offer special Bockfest deals throughout the weekend and a free Friday and Saturday night shuttle will move Bockfest-goers to the more than a dozen establishments participating in Bockfest.
2020 Bockfest Events
*Bockfest Hall is located at 1619 Moore Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
- Beefsteak Club Dinner, Saturday, Feb. 1, 6-8 p.m., at Moerlein Lager House
- Precipitation Retaliation Happy Hour,Friday, February 21, 5:30-9 p.m. at Milton’s Prospect Hill Tavern
- Bockfest Parade presented by Kroger On the Rhine & OTR Eatery, Friday, Feb. 28, 6 p.m. from Arnold’s Bar & Grill to Bockfest Hall
- The Bock Tour Brewing Heritage Walking Tours, Feb. 29-March 1 from Bockfest Hall
- Bockfest 5K, Saturday, Feb. 29, 10 a.m. from Bockfest Hall
- Sausage Queen & Beard Baron competitions, Saturday, Feb. 29, 7:30 p.m., Bockfest Hall
- Games, Germans, & Gemütlichkeit, Sunday, March 1, 11 a.m., Bockfest Hall
Bockfest weekend begins Friday, Feb. 28 with theBockfest Paradepresented by Kroger On the Rhine & OTR Eatery, which steps off at 6 p.m. and winds north from Arnold’s Bar & Grill to Main Street with a final stop at Bockfest Hall at the Christian Moerlein Brewery and Tap Room, 1621 Moore Street. Bockfest Hall then hosts the ceremonial blessing of the bock beer keg, followed by great food, cold bock beer, and live music including headliner the Naked Karate Girls.
The weekend keeps running as theBockfest 5Khoofs its way past historic brewery sites and through Over-the-Rhine on Saturday morning. Register now atwww.runbeerseries.com. Then, tap into theBock Beer Blowoutfeaturing local bock beer tastings with over 18 bocks on draft, homebrew competitions, historic brewery walking tours,Bockfeast Pig Roast, and fun beer games pitting local breweries vying for the coveted Brewers Cup.
Saturday night’sBillygoat Ballat Bockfest Hall promises to be the greatest of all time with live music, bock beer and the finals of the BockfestBeard BaronandSausage Queencompetitions. Devotees of goatees and facial fleece butt heads in the Beard Baron competition. Then, winners of six preliminary gender-neutral Sausage Queen rounds (held at local bars) will meat and compete in a raucous and bawdy pageant, followed by headliner The Rusty Griswolds.
Bring the kids to Bockfest Hall on Sunday forGoats, Germans, & GemütlichkeitThe family fun starts with theLittle Linkschildrens’ pageant and features kid-friendly games and petting zoo - plusGoat Yoga, theBockfeast Pig Roast DinnerandBock Bloody Mary Bar. The.05K Fun “Run”raises funds for the Brewing Heritage Trail andContinental Sundayshowcases our rich heritage with live German music and dancing, steins and breweriana, historic brewery walking tours, and a series of local history talks.
All weekend long, learn about the beer drinkers, beer makers, and beer barons of Cincinnati’s past. Take a historic brewery tour along theBrewing Heritage Trail. Saturday and Sunday feature a 90-minute immersive Bock Tour which starts at Bockfest Hall and visits the historic Hudepohl Brewery bottling plant and lagering cellars.
A number of preliminary events will count down to Bockfest weekend, including theBeefsteak Club Dinneron Feb. 1 at Moerlein Lager House, pairing dinner choices with bock beer. Additionally, thePrecipitation Retaliation Happy Hour, February 21,features a sacrificial snowman burned in effigy.
Visitwww.bockfest.comfor all the details.
The non-profit Brewery District Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation is the organizer of Bockfest. All of the proceeds of Bockfest support the non-profit Brewery District CURC and its mission to preserve, promote, and redevelop Cincinnati’s brewing heritage, including the building of the Brewing Heritage Trail. Presenting sponsors are TruPartner Credit Union and the Christian Moerlein Brewing Company. Additional sponsors include Kroger On the Rhine & OTR Eatery, Servatii, Decal Impressions, Cincy Event Management, Sonder Brewing, New Riff Distilling, CityBeat, RESLV Video Production Agency, Donohoo Accounting, Cincy Brew Bus, Flying Pig Marathon, Main Street OTR, and the German-American Citizens League.