52nd annual Oktoberfest kicks off in La Mesa
LA MESA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) -- The 52nd annual Oktoberfest in La Mesa kicked off on Friday with food, music and tons of activities.
All weekend long, festivities continue as thousands celebrate German culture with traditional songs and popular food.
“My potato pancakes are darn good," said Margit Ganitt as she served traditional German cuisine. "The apple strudel is the best we’ve had in years.”
Ganitt, a German native, is serving a taste of her home country in Southern California.
“I love the Oktoberfest," she said. "It gives me a chance to come back to my roots.”
The La Mesa Oktoberfest brings more than 5,000 guests each year.
“I think it is so important to celebrate the different cultures that make up San Diego, and German is one of them,” said Beth Block-Weiss, the event manager.
More than 50 vendors are whipping up traditional German food, including giant pretzels, bratwurst and so much more.
“Everybody loves it. We wouldn’t be here if everybody didn’t love our sausage,” said Bernadette Tarantino, one of the co-owners of Tarantino's.
Attendees can head to one of three biergartens, filling up their glasses to wash down all the delicious food.
“This is my first time, and I’ve already had a drink, so I’m probably buzzed a little,” first-time visitor Julia Hershey said.
After you’ve filled up, there’s still plenty of games and activities left to do.
“The chugging contest, we’ll probably sign up for that later as well,” Cooper Maltbie said.
“He’s doing that not me," his friend Corrado Lo Coco laughed.
More than seven decades after leaving Germany, Ganitt says events like this help her remember and share the culture of her childhood.
“It’s a wonderful chance for people that have never had a chance to go to Germany to try some of the things that we grew up with and that we love,” she said.
Oktoberfest has just begun in La Mesa.
The festivities run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
