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Raise your glass and fill it with the best bock beer Cincinnati has to offer! Bockfest returns this weekend.
The 34th annual festival celebrating Cincinnati’s brewing heritage and all things bock beer returns March 6-8. The weekend features a wide range of events for all ages, from the parade to the 5K to the crowning of the Sausage Queen.
Here’s everything you need to know before you go to Bockfest.
What is Bockfest?
Bockfest is Cincinnati’s annual celebration of spring, Over-the-Rhine’s brewing heritage and bock beer. The weekend festival is filled with beer, live music, sausage, a 5K race and an extravagant parade that travels through Downtown.
Hudepohl-Schoenling Brewing Co. created Bockfest in 1993 to celebrate the brewery’s introduction of Christian Moerlein Bock, according to the festival’s website. The company eventually decided to make the launch of the bock beer into an entire festival.
According to the Bockfest site, bock beer is traditionally brewed for special occasions, with a particular link to spring due to German monks drinking it as a substitute for food during Lenten fasts.
When and where is Bockfest?
The 34th Bockfest runs March 6-8 at several participating locations in Downtown and Over-the-Rhine. Admission, music and entertainment at the Bockfest Halls and other official venues are free.
This year, the festival is being sponsored by Servatii.
The full list of participating Bockfest locations can be found on the official Bockfest website, bockfest.com/official-venues.html. These are the five Bockfest Halls:
- Arnold’s Bar & Grill, 210 E. Eighth Street, Downtown.
- Moerlein Lager House, 115 Joe Nuxhall Way, Downtown.
- Northern Row Brewery & Distillery, 111 W. McMicken Ave., Over-the-Rhine.
- Rhinegeist Brewery, 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine.
- Rosedale OTR, 208 E. 12th Street, Over-the-Rhine.
What is bock beer?
Bock beer is German in origin. It’s complex and hardy, with a relatively high alcohol content.
Cincinnati was a brewing city in the 1800s, and Over-the-Rhine was the center of beer production and consumption. According to the Bockfest site, bock beer is traditionally brewed for special occasions, with a particular link to spring due to German monks drinking it as a substitute for food during Lenten fasts.
When is the Bockfest 5K?
The annual Bockfest 5K is 10 a.m. March 7.
Runners race around downtown Cincinnati and end near one of the Bockfest Halls, Moerlein Lager House.
All registered participants receive a shirt, two drink tickets and a Skyline Chili cheese coney. Bockfest 5K finishers also receive a medal that doubles as a bottle opener.
When is the Bockfest parade?
The annual parade, traditionally led by a goat pulling a keg and the reigning Sausage Queen, starts to form in front of Arnold’s Bar & Grill, at 210 E. Eighth St. in Downtown, at 5 p.m. March 6.
By 6 p.m., the parade begins its route.
The overall Best of Bock receives a special custom trophy at the Bockfest Parade Awards Ceremony. The ceremony takes place March 7 at 2 p.m. at Northern Row Brewery & Distillery. These are the other awards up for grabs:
- Best costumes.
- Best goat or animal representation.
- Best music entry.
- Best dance troupe.
- Best brewery, bar or restaurant.
- Best German or heritage-themed entry.
- Main Street Choice Award.
- Grand prize.
Only registered participants are eligible for parade awards.
Bockfest Parade road closures
To accommodate the annual Bockfest Parade, the following streets will close March 6 and remain closed until approximately 7 p.m.
- Eighth Street between Broadway and Main Street: 4 p.m.
- Sycamore Street between Central Parkway and Seventh Street: 5 p.m.
- Ninth Street between Broadway and Main Street (cross traffic will be maintained as long as possible): 5 p.m.
- Sycamore Street between Liberty Street and Seventh Street: 6 p.m.
- Main Street between Central Parkway and Liberty Street: 6 p.m.
- Court Street between Main Street and Sycamore Street: 6 p.m.
- Central Parkway between Walnut Street and Eggleston Avenue: 6 p.m.
- Short Reading Road between Eggleston Avenue and Main Street: 6 p.m.
- Elliot Street between Sycamore Street and Broadway Street: 6 p.m.
- Twelfth Street between Clay Street and Sycamore Street: 6 p.m.
- Thirteenth Street between Sycamore Street and Clay Street: 6 p.m.
- Fourteenth Street between Walnut Street and Sycamore Street: 6 p.m.
- Orchard Street between Sycamore Street and Main Street: 6 p.m.
- Clay Street between Thirteenth Street to Melindy Street: 6 p.m.
Bockfest 5K road closures
The festivities continue with the running of the Bockfest 5K. The race promptly begins at 10 a.m. and requires the closure of the following streets at the listed times.
- Mehring Way between Elm Street and Joe Nuxhall Way for start/finish line construction: 7 a.m.
- Joe Nuxhall Way south of Second Street: 7 a.m.
- Mehring Way between Freeman Avenue and East Pete Rose Way: 9:30 a.m.
- Gest Street south of Third Street: 9:30 a.m.
- West Pete Rose Way between Central Avenue and Gest Street: 9:30 a.m.
- Central Avenue south of Third Street: 9:30 a.m.
- Elm Street south of Freedom Way: 9:30 a.m.
- Marian Spencer Way between Second Street and Freedom Way (local access maintained): 9:30 a.m.
- Marian Spencer Way between Freedom Way and Ted Berry Way (local access maintained): 9:30 a.m.
- Freedom Way east of Rosa Parks Street: 9:30 a.m.
- Ramp LL: 9:30 a.m.
- Johnny Bench Way: 9:30 a.m.
- East Pete Rose Way between Broadway/Taylor Southgate Bridge and Johnny Bench Way: 9:30 a.m.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.cincinnati.com ’
