Oktoberfest Celebrations Take Over Parts Of Philadelphia
By Hadas Kuznits
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - German culture was celebrated in Fishtown at one of several Oktoberfest gatherings taking place in Philadelphia this month.
A portion of Frankford Avenue was blocked off Saturday for the celebration.
Elisabeth Hostetter was there with her German dance club, dressed for the occasion:
"It's called the dirndl," she said. "The women wear dirndl. For special festivals, it's called tracht."
Hostetter says Oktoberfest is a month-long celebrating with a long history:
"Oktoberfest started about 300 years ago," she said. "It was a wedding originally... so they were planning a wedding for the royal couple and it just took into the streets and became one of the biggest beer fests!"
And she says true Oktoberfest celebrations take place outdoors:
"They used to brew the beer in the breweries and then it would be kind of hot in there and they always felt that the beer was best fresh from the keg. That's why you always see the tepping ceremonies at Oktoberfests."
The Oktoberfest celebration ironically enough runs from this time of year until October.
