Urban Chestnut's Oktoberfest

It is admittedly strange that a festival named Oktoberfest starts in September, but sometimes traditions don’t make sense. Besides, do you want to argue semantics or drink beer and pogo to polka? Exactly. Urban Chestnut’s seventh Oktoberfest is this weekend at its midtown location (3229 Washington Avenue; www.urbanchestnut.com), with three days of beer, traditional German festival food (brats, pretzels, roasted chicken and currywurst) and music by the Deutschmeister Brass Band, the Bolzen Beer Band, Dave Hylla's Good Time Band and Die Spitzbaum. Admission is free, but you pay for food and drinks with tokens instead of cash or plastic. Tokens are $6 each, or available in advance as a pack of six for $25. One token gets you a sixteen-ounce beer pour or a small food item, while two tokens is worth one commemorative Oktoberfest bier stein; 33 ounces of beer in that stein; or one large food item. Tokens can only be purchased with cash on the day of the event, so either buy ‘em in advance or stand in line. 'Fest hours are noon to 11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday (September 22 to 24).