Say Yes to the Fest

This is St. Louis -- none of us need an excuse to grab a beer. But if you're casting about for justification, well, say guten tag to the Soulard Oktoberfest. A joint celebration of our city's German heritage and our history as a brewery town, Soulard Oktoberfest is an excellent reason to eat sausage, drink beer and dance to polka music -- and life is just better with polka. The stars of the show are the biermeisters, which are German brewers Spaten and Weihenstephan, as well as a host of local pros such as Urban Chestnut, Civil Life, O'Fallon Brewery and Ferguson Brewing Company. All that glorious music is provided by the Dorfrockers (Franconia's finest), Wisconsin's Copper Box and hometown heroes the Deutschmeister Brass Band. Oktoberfest is in full swing from 4 p.m. to midnight Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday (October 10 through 12) at 1798 South Seventh Street (across from Soulard Market). General admission is $5, with VIP options ranging from $45 to $75.
Fri., Oct. 10, 4-11:59 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 11, 11 a.m.-11:59 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 12, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., 2014