As we head into the month of October, we here in Germantown mourn the absence of one of our most heralded local traditions: Oktoberfest. October 2020 will be the first time since the festival’s inception in 1983 that we have not held it in one form or another.

For those unfamiliar with the tradition, Oktoberfest is a celebration of German heritage, usually involving games, agriculture, and lots of beer. Over the years, the Oktoberfest has involved amusement park rides, scarecrow-making competitions, fireworks, and even a parade. It has become such a staple of life in Germantown that everyone in town knows what it is (no small feat given our population of nearly 100,000). In fact, it garners tens of thousands of visitors every year. And Germantown is not alone in its celebration. The festival began in Germany in 1810 as a celebration of a royal marriage. The event quickly evolved into an agricultural fair, horse-racing competition, carnival, and beer-drinking bonanza. It was a tradition that German-American communities largely left behind when they immigrated in large numbers in the mid-19th century. It was their descendants who revived the event well over a century later, quickly inspiring festivals across the United States.

But why do we celebrate? Beyond the simple recognition of heritage (despite our name, Germantown is not and never has been very German, see my post from two months ago), this event was thought of as a way to foster a greater sense of communal identity while Germantown was undergoing major changes. In the 80s, Germantown saw a population explosion corresponding with extensive development along the I-270 corridor. As we shifted away from a sleepy agricultural town towards a new DC suburb, we were seeking to embrace elements of our past while looking to the future.

It was in this context that the Germantown Alliance gathered local leaders together in early 1983. Together with members of the Germantown Citizens Association, the local Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, and the Jaycees, they decided to adopt a tradition that other communities across America had been picking up since the 1960s. On the lot where the Sidney Kramer UpCounty Regional Services Center now lies — at the intersection of Germantown and Middlebrook roads — they had dozens of food and craft booths, German music, and an auction that raised money for a local girl to get a liver transplant. 2,000 people attended that year, quickly becoming more than 40,000 by the end of the decade.

The festival has moved around several times over the years (my own first Oktoberfest was in the lot where the Germantown library now sits) and even changed its format, but it has never lost sight of its spirit or its aim of fostering greater communal identity. It was briefly moved out to Clarksburg in the early 2010s against opposition by the Germantown Historical Society and community members who felt that taking it out of Germantown undermined its mission. But it came back after a few years and even incorporated its first parade element last year.

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we will all have to drink our beers and listen to polka from home. But I look forward to the eventual return in 2021!