JOIN USCelebrating the spirit of Germany
Think of October and October Fest (popularly known as Oktoberfest) comes to one’s mind.
Oktoberfest, which originated in Germany, is one of the world’s most popular food and beverage festivals.
With most countries celebrating the fest lavishly, Bangalore surely doesn’t lag behind in the celebrations.
This was seen at the launch of the Oktoberfest, which was held at the ITC Gardenia recently. Rolf Saligmann, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, was the special guest for the evening on September 22, the opening night of the fest.
Till October 1, every evening from 6.30 pm to 11.30 pm, the festive atmosphere at the hotel encapsulates the fun and fervour of Germany’s most sought-after beer festival.
Guests get to savour a special German menu accompanied by a range of beers like Draught, Snake Dog IPA, Rogue Brutal Bitter and Kapittel to name a few.
Relishing their beers on the opening night were the many in-house guests of the hotel apart from a few food-lovers of the City. Most of the popular City-based socialites decided give the event a miss.
However, it didn’t come as a surprise considering it was a paid event!
Said Rolf Saligmann, the guest for the evening, “Oktoberfest is famous all around the world. Even when I lived in the Philippines and Texas, USA, it was celebrated in a grand manner. So the entire world knows about it.”
He added, “Even in Bangalore, so many places promote and organise the Oktoberfest. But it’s up to you to make your own experience out of it.”
His son Alex was having a great time during the evening too, as he posed with dad for photographs.
“I won’t be in Germany during Oktoberfest this year,” he said.
“But then, you don’t really have to have an Oktoberfest to appreciate the goodness of beer,” he joked.
While the guests were enjoying the dinner and beverages, a three-piece band called Schickados played some wonderful compositions.
Classics like You Look Wonderful Tonight, Ain’t No Sunshine and Come Together were blended with modern hits like Maroon 5’s She Will Be Loved.
While on September 23, Sudheep Menon’s band entertained the guests, One Night Stand, a four-piece band took the stage on September 24.
On September 30, C-Street Band will be performing. The fest goes on till October 1 with Ministry Of Blues playing on the last day.