Tulsa Celebrates German Culture As Oktoberfest Kicks Off

Tulsa has a touch of Munich as Oktoberfest kicked off festivities Wednesday night.

It's all about German food, German clothing and lots of beer; and Tulsa’s Oktoberfest is considered one of the best in the country – and here’s just a touch of what you’ll see.

One of the festival’s most popular attractions is Das Glockenspiel - a human cuckoo clock that performs every hour, on the hour.

The festival said it models itself after Munich's Oktoberfest, so we asked Maria Wohlers, who's visiting Tulsa from Germany and has been to Munich's Oktoberfest, just how closely they compare.

She said Tulsa's is a smaller version.

"Munich, it's so big, so many people. It's so much louder. Everyone has a dress like dirndl or lederhosen," she said.

Wohlers said the music is probably the most authentic part.

"The band, like, this is the same. The music, yeah, the music is the same," she said.

There's German food and costumes, but the beer is totally Oklahoman - from nine different local breweries.

Landon and Kimberly are here for their second year in a row.

"It's, you know, great people, good food, good drinks and fun," Landon said.

Kimberly said, "Yeah, I think just seeing people, hanging out with people, meeting new people, just getting to know everyone in town."

Even though Tulsa's version of Germany is pretty different from her hometown of Hamburg, Maria likes it, too.

"I like that a lot of Americans are here. It's, like, different," she said.

You can get your Oktoberfest tickets at the door or get them online at a discount. There are four shuttles that will take you to Oktoberfest if you don't want to pay for parking. You can find all that information here.