If you love German-influenced things, you’re probably already planning an Oktoberfest. If you’re midway through your planning work, you might want to take a break now and check out these great ideas to plan an event that you and your guests will love. Don’t forget the pretzels!
Table Décor Ideas
For tablescapes, you’re going to want bold tones and German-influenced style, of course. The colors of the German flag are black, red, and yellow, so choose table linens in those colors, and coordinate with accessories like beer steins as vases, Oktoberfest-themed place cards, and more. BBJ has a variety of black tablecloths and accessory linens, and if you’d rather go bright, choose from the selection of Yellow Lamour products.
For adding a pop of sparkle, you can’t go wrong with the Garnet Isla options, either‚ they’re a perfect mix of bold, rich red and sequin sparkle. If you want to go all out, have personalized beer glasses made for the event, complete with guest’s names on them. For this sort of event, rectangular tables mimic the look of a beer garden overseas, so opt for those instead of circular tables‚ the floor plan is important!
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Menu Planning
Oktoberfest menus are a lot of fun to plan. The food for this can be casual or dressed up, but one common characteristic about this sort of menu is that the food is meant to soak up some of the alcohol from a beer-centric celebration, so it’s all pretty rich. Offer things like beer, bacon, and cheddar bread, sauerkraut with German sausages or bratwurst, spaetzle, potato salad, and other German favorites. As for dessert, you can serve a Black Forest or German chocolate cake, Kuchen, or strudel.
Beer Swap/Tasting
Ask guests to bring their favorite German beer to the event, and coordinate a swap or tasting for the different brews. Guests can then bring home the beers as a favor, allowing the Oktoberfest celebration to keep on going, long after the party ends. If you’d prefer to do a tasting, be sure to have lots of small glasses or cups on hand, as well as paper for guests to take notes. Create specific tasting tables to further imbue the event with a German look and feel. This is a fun way to bring the Munich-based festival right to your own town.
How did you plan your last Oktoberfest party?