Oktoberfest celebration planned for First Thursday

Courtesy graphic

Fayetteville will close out the 2013 First Thursday season with an Oktoberfest celebration during the monthly art walk and festival on the downtown square this week.

Bratwurst eating contests, polka music and plenty more will be included in the event, set to start at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3.

The event will also include nine interactive exhibits designed to engage visitors in engineering skills and reinforce science concepts from the new Amazeum children’s museum, set to open in Bentonville in 2015.

Fayetteville Music Factory will kick off the music on the main stage at 5 p.m., followed by Grammy winners Sugar Free Allstars. Tulsa’s The PolkaMeisters will headline the event.

The bratwurst eating contest begins at 6:30 p.m. in front of the main stage on Mountain Street. The first seven contestants to sign up at the Fayetteville Visitors Center will be eligible to compete in the contest. The contestant who eats the most bratwursts in three minutes will be declared the winner and will receive a trophy and a gift card.

The event will also feature a beer garden benefiting local non-profit artist collective, The Fayetteville Underground.

For more information about this month’s First Thursday event, visit firstthursdayfayetteville.com.