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Guests pose with Martin Luther at Oktoberfest at Our Savior Lutheran Church — Pose with Martin Luther at the Oktoberfest celebration at Our Savior Lutheran Church! Photo submitted.

Birmingham has a ton of ways to celebrate Oktoberfest. However, did you know that Our Savior Lutheran Church in Shoal Creek has been celebrating German culture since 2009? Check out how you can learn and celebrate Oktoberfest at Our Savior Lutheran Church–for free!

Wait–why is a church celebrating Oktoberfest?

The inside of the church at Our Savior Lutheran Church

If you’re like me, you might associate Oktoberfest with German beer. Lots of it. However, Oktoberfest is about much more than just beer.

Oktoberfest began in Munich, Germany over 200 years ago. Since then, the celebration has turned into the biggest festival in the world. In addition to beer, Oktoberfest celebrates German culture through food, dress, and music.

Our Savior Lutheran Church. Photo via Facebook.

Similarly, the Lutheran Church traces their roots to Germany as well. In 1517, a German monk named Martin Luther kickstarted the Protestant Reformation with his list of Ninety-Five Theses. Since then, the Lutheran Church has been intertwined with Germany.

Celebrate the history of the Lutheran Church with Oktoberfest

The poster for the 11th annual Oktoberfest at Our Savior Lutheran Church

When: Sunday, October 13th from 12PM to 3PM
Where: 1074 Dunnavant Valley Rd, Birmingham, AL 35242

In order to celebrate their heritage, Our Savior Lutheran Church has put on an Oktoberfest celebration every year since 2009.

The best part? The entire event is FREE! Free food, free music, free entertainment, and more. However, if you’d like to give back to the church, there will be a donation box at the Welcome Tent.

Try some traditional German Food

Showing off German soft pretzels at Oktoberfest at Our Savior Lutheran Church — Showing off mouth-watering German soft pretzels! Photo submitted.

If you like traditional German food, you’ll love Oktoberfest. During the event, cooks show off traditional German dishes, such as:

Bratwurst, sauerkraut, red cabbage, German potato salad, roasted chicken, slaw, and loaded potato salad
Homemade Black Forest and German Chocolate cakes, cookies and cupcakes
Local Oktoberfest beer for guests 21 and up

“Oktoberfest at Our Savior Lutheran is loads of fun with authentic food, family games and music. Our family has gone to this event the last 5 years, and it keeps getting better!”
Tim and Christie Cheek, long-time attendees

Oktoberfest at Our Savior Lutheran Church is fun for the whole family

Guests at Our Savior Lutheran Church enjoy traditional Oktoberfest dishes — Guests after enjoying traditional German dishes and Oktoberfest beer. Don’t they look happy? Photo submitted.

Door Prizes: Each family gets 1 entry to win one of the awesome door prizes. For example, the prizes range from gift cards to Dreamland BBQ to spa packages.
Fun for the kids: Keep your kids entertained for hours with the inflatable obstacle course or bouncy castle. Afterwards, they can get a temporary German flag tattoo or color the Luther seal while learning about Martin Luther.
Traditional German Music: Musician Wolfgang Moritz will entertain you for the entire event. Wolfgang sings and plays 2 instruments at the same time! You don’t want to miss him.

“My favorite part is the food and music. I’m always excited about the prospect of meeting new people from our community and getting to share this fun event with them.”
Roger Benz, member of Our Savior Lutheran Church