Yorktoberfest, York’s traditional Bavarian beer festival, will be staged for the first time in a Big Top when it returns to the Clocktower Enclosure at York Racecourse this autumn.
The blue Big Top will be transformed into a spectacular fully-themed German Beer Haus across two weekends: Friday 16th – Saturday 17th October and Friday 23rd – Saturday 24th October. Tickets are on sale through www.ticketsource.co.uk/yorktoberfest. Prices are £25 per person for standard and £35 for VIP.
Event Organiser James Cundall, CEO of Jamboree Entertainment, says:
“We are really excited to be staging Yorktoberfest in a Big Top for the first time – it will make for a unique and unforgettable party. Big Tops always bring a super-charged vibe to any event, and the space inside this structure will make our live music and outrageous entertainment even more thrilling.
“It will feel as though you’re stepping into another world inside the Big Top – a Bavarian festival with rows of tables and benches, two performance stages, rustic carts full of wooden beer barrels, wooden barns serving German-themed food and drinks, flags galore and generally everything needed for a great night out.
“We are also delighted to say that we will be keeping our ticket prices the same as last year. We are mindful that everything everywhere seems to be going up in price and we wanted to keep Yorktoberfest as affordable as we possibly can.”
Yorktoberfest promises a barrel-full of laughs, live entertainment and lederhosen. Traditional or fancy dress is encouraged – with competitions for the best dressed – as is dancing and merry-making, in keeping with the original Oktoberfest in Munich in 1810 where so much fun was had that an annual tradition was born.
Returning this year is the internationally-acclaimed seven-piece live band, The Bavarian Strollers who will perform thigh-slapping, foot-stomping oompah tunes as well as feel-good disco classics. They have travelled the world bringing their unique take on oompah music to Bier Keller evenings and Oktoberfests, and their Bavarian table dances and German ‘prosit’ toasts will once again make Yorktoberfest a memorable experience.
Adding to the party and returning to the stage by popular demand will be international drag artist Velma Celli, the undisputed star of the show. Velma has been mesmerising Yorktoberfest audiences with her powerhouse vocals and outrageous humour, receiving rave reviews across social media. Known as ‘the UK’s Queen of live vocal drag’, Velma has been charming audiences across the globe for more than 16 years, from Australia to New York, and from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to London’s Hippodrome. Velma takes the drag concept to whole new dizzy heights according to her alter-ego Ian Stroughair, a well-known name on the West End stage in his own right.
Mr Cundall is also planning additional circus-themed live entertainment “in keeping with the new Big Top”, and further details will be announced in due course.
The Bavarian Bar will serve a variety of beers from local supplier Brew York as well as a range of wines, prosecco, spirits, zero beers and soft drinks. German-inspired food will also be available from The Dog Haus, catering for all tastes with the essential favourites of sausages, schnitzels and pretzels as well as vegan and vegetarian options.
