Germania Society of Cincinnati in Cincinnati
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Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, US
Went for Christkindlmarkt, and the parking was full at 11:15A. Many of the booths had scarce inventory as most had been sold on Friday, so selection was very limited. The lines for food were horrific. Not as many vendors as in years past, but glad to they had one this year, and hoping next year will be bigger.
Good food! Good beer! Nice people and a Great Steel Drum band provided excellent entertainment. (They were so much fun to watch and listen to).The new food line configuration was much more organized and efficient. The tents and lighting looked fantastic! Another year of great value!! Well done!
It was crowded, not unexpected, wait was not worth the price nor the quality. Last years fare was far superior. Tough to navigate the condiment area, and ketchup was out. Felt somewhat rushed by the little humans scurrying about scavenging for trays. And no Bilz. Ill still say its worth at least one visit per Lent, and I must say the workers were extraordinary and very pleasant.
If you find this review helpful, please like it below. Weve been to a couple of this German Christmas markets in the Chicago area. This particular one is worth visiting but significantly smaller. We like the tents to make it more weather friendly but the grounds can get muddy so plan accordingly. Reasonable selection of food and drinks.
Love this park! Went to the Cincinnati Egg Fest last weekend. It was great! Tons of Kamado grills and lots of great food. Good German beer selection offered on tap. Germania Park also hosts my favorite Oktoberfest in the area. The one downtown may be bigger, but this one is definitely better. My hats off to the Germania Society, they run a great operation!
Not a fan, parking was a mess, I have a smaller car and kids, and even though there was available parking on pavement I was made to park in a mud puddle and cost $3 cash, no sign prior to the gate. Then you walk around crammed elbow to elbow with everyone else for over priced beer ($5 for a 8oz, $15 for a pint and $10 for pint refill.) There were a bunch of consignment shops like a craft fair, unbeknownst to most, but internet was slow and weak signaled, so most shops were unable to process cards easily. Sure there was an ATM, but the line was longer than the one for Santa and it cost you for transaction too. There was only 2 food lines, for 2 different menus so if you wanted something from both you had to stand in the incredibly long line again, and there was not enough seating to accommodate. It just wasnt worth the hour drive to get there, at all.
A great place for family fun. When I was younger their events made great places to bring a date. There is good food, decent beer, tons of music and culture. Now with kids I can show them their heritage in an environment that is welcoming to everyone, even if you have no German background.
I love Germania and really love the festivals they hold throughout the year. This is a very big venue and the people are always very polite. The food at the festivals is always great and the beer is always cold. Im glad I can share my German heritage with such an active club.
Really not what was expected. Didnt have any vendors where you could buy traditional foods to take home like real german breads, sausages, etc. Too crowded... need more open space. People dont control their small children and you constantly trip over them. Basically a place to go drink Cincinnati beer... overpriced beer at that. Was okay to go one time.. at least can cross it off the to do list.
Went to the German Christmas market. All of the items for sale were beautiful. The food was amazing. It was a fun day. My only complaint is the prices. I admire all the craftsmanship of the pieces for sale but I couldnt afford to buy anything. I was very disappointed that I left empty handed.
Attended a Big Green Egg event here. It was a nice park with a HUGE pavilion, and clean restrooms that had plenty of stalls in the ladies room. The pavilion has a stage with 2 ceiling fans over it. I wouldve given 5 stars if there had been ceiling fans throughout. It was hot that day and I was grateful for the shade of the pavilion, but moving air wouldve helped.
Their picnic grove in the trees is VERY nice! They had a rock band so loud you could not talk to people you were sitting by (picnic grove was far enough away that you could hear them and hold a conversation ) Thought they would have a German-style band?? Beer was good, but they ran out of Oktoberfuel.
I went for a school field trip to Christkindlmarkt and had so much fun, except my teacher made us dinner and we had to eat in this dining hall area and the lady working was so rude. Half of the students couldnt find seats because she had to keep seats open for her paying customers we were paying customers. Otherwise I had a lot of fun.
The most fun youll have at an Oktoberfest this side of Munich! Each year Germania kicks off the Oktoberfest season in Cincinnati with the best and most authentic Oktoberfest in the region.Unlike many local festivals, this isnt a street festival with very little German culture -- this is the real deal. It feels just like the smaller festivals youll find in the rural towns of Bavaria.The food is amazing and the atmosphere is Gemütlichkeit in the true sense of the word. Fun for all ages, and a blast for families and single folk alike.
Starts the Oktoberfest season with a bang! Wide selection of German bier. German food, brats, mets, limberger cheese and onion sandwiches on rye bread. Servates pretzels. Roasted chicken. A lot of German music. And a great venue with a very large open air hall. Large indoor hall. And a very large forest garden. See you the last weekend of August!
One of the best Oktoberfests in the greater Cincinnati area. Great authentic German food. Most of the food sales benefit local German heritage and educational groups including the Tri-state German American language school, and the prices are always very fair for a festival type event.
This is more your classic, enjoyable, not so drunkfest, Oktoberfest.First off Germania Park, is gorgeous, and the Society, really does a good job on the upkeep, which is also what the funds from Oktoberfest go towards. This is a definitely family friendly place.Giant beer steins? check. Lots of German beer choices? check. authentic German food? check times like 15 different times. Games? Rides? Tug-of-war? Yes yes and seriously!They do have the typical gambling tents that Cincinnati is used to seeing at festival. The Big 6 wheel, blackjack, poker, etc. And this year they even had a rat in (on?) a wheel game which was interesting, cool, and cute all at the same time! And yes I just called a rat cute. If you cause trouble here, they will kick you out. Major Plus! Theres a polka band going under a pavilion with a dance floor if youre so inclined. And a booth where you can buy your normal fare. Need a hat? a new feather for said hat? a stein? shot glass? apron? You name it they most likely have it there. Its all sorts of German regalia, that may or may not be themed for the weekend, but if youve been wanting there random German knick knack you can get it here.They have a few beer and even wine tents or booths set up. And plenty of non-alcoholic booths. The food numbers well above 20 different booths, and yes you can even get a giant pickle! If youre looking for the not so crowded, not nothing but drunken Oktoberfest, this is the perfect one to enjoy a beer or 2, some music, friends, and a great evening out!
Ive been there almost every year since I returned to Ohio in 2000. Friends of mine started going about 10 years before that and still go every year. Clearly the best Oktoberfest in SW Ohio if not all of Ohio if not all of the midwest. Who knows, maybe the best one in the USA! In the afternoon this festival is fairly family oriented. At night it seems to get a little crazy but I usually leave before it gets dark.
Overly expensive products. Ill just have my relatives send some over instead. Cheap food, but not a large selection and very little Authentic german food. They also serve even the german beer Cold and have a santa claus, instead of a st.nick. overall not what i was hoping for, having lived on Germany myself, but i will say that this is the better of the two ive been to.
Volksmarch today. Had fabulous homemade German food, b4 or after a 5 or 10k walk. Thanks Iris, Patty & crew. Diane Cartheuser, your graphic art for our annual seasonal pens are a work of art. Beautiful as usual. So lucky to have you. Next Volksmarch is in Oct., homemade snitzel. Open to the public, come early.
Like others have said parking is a nightmare. It was very disappointing they did not have parking/shuttle sites listed on the website. And no one seemed to know where those parking lots were. This just seemed like such an unorganized event and very expensive to park and get in.
Total reviews rating 4.6
199 Reviews for Germania Society of Cincinnati 2023:
Review №1
2021-08-22Aug 21 - went to the new Biergarten Experience 2021 Had a great time! Try out the Mug Slide game, its like shuffleboard but with a Stein. Lots of great food, cold German beers on draft, German folk music and dancing, and a lot of covered seating.
Review №2
2021-08-06Arguably Germania Society hosts the best Oktoberfest celebration in Cincinnati. Unfortunately, the Bier Garden experience we attended June 5th was not to the standards we have come to know. I would give it a 1 star Google Rating. Their Oktoberfest historically would be a 5 and is how I ended up with a 3 star rating. We arrived around 7:45pm. No Hefeweizen draft bier available. Except for the Bratwurst and other sausages, it was a Sysco foods profit focused scenario. Case in point, the pretzel was actually multigrain pretzel bites (really bad) and the dessert was Mexican Churros. The music performers took a very long break. So the recorded background music was what we mainly heard. We left after an hour. The Bier Garden experience was a let down and I do not recommend it. Save yourself a trip. I have spoke with several people who tried the Bier Garden experience Saturdays after I did and they complained of the exact same experience and added the food was shut down way in advance of the advertised end time.
Review №3
2019-11-24So much fun for minimal funds!! Free parking with transportation from overflow. Awesome German heritage. Love that we were able to enjoy the evening INSIDE warm tents even though it was less than ideal weather. Oh, and KRAMPUS!
Review №4
2020-09-12It was lovely! They had a live band, good food: savory roasted chicken, corn on the cob, cole slaw, desserts and BEER. There were also a lot of people. Some of them were wearing traditional German outfits.
Review №5
2019-08-25Good food, good beer, good traditional music.Not enough bathrooms!Pretty high prices $15 for plastic stein of beer, $5 brat or mett, $6 funnel cake
Review №6
2019-11-24Always a great opportunity to celebrate local German heritage throughout the year. Whether the 1st Oktoberfest of the season in Cincinnati or the lovely German Christmas market, you will find plenty of German foods, beers, and gifts for yourself or others! Check out the clubhouse for live entertainment, and seasonal dinners. Memberships are available for the society as well. Prost!
Review №7
2017-05-22Great atmosphere, good food, love the grounds. Wish the music was more authentic to Germany history and culture, but some groups are better than others. American pop, country, hiphop, and rock have no place at a German festival. Need more Polka!!
Review №8
2018-09-30Annual Cincinnati VW Club Porsche/Audi/VW Show at the park. Nice weather and well attended. Food (brats+mets on a hard roll with or without sauerkraut, potato cakes, hamburgers), drinks, ice cream and beer was available.
Review №9
2018-11-23Absolutely loved visiting for the Christkindlmarkt. Everyone was very friendly and the vendors had a lot of interesting items for sale. After living in Germany, it definitely gave me a little taste of my second home. Would totally go back every year.
Review №10
2020-09-28It was so cool. Volkswagen car show took place here and it was clean, breezy, and perfect weather. Perfect and nicest place for a vw car show.