Germanfest Picnic to take place this weekend at St. Anne's Hill

Hosted in the St. Anne’s Hill Historic District, the Germanfest Picnic is ready to bring a taste of German culture to downtown Dayton on Friday, Aug. 13, Saturday, Aug. 14 and Sunday, Aug. 15.

The Germanfest Picnic, presented by the Liederkranz-Turner organization, came from humble beginnings in the summer of 1983. This weekend, the festival will celebrate its 38th year in downtown Dayton.

What began as a small club event has become everything an all-encompassing German heritage celebration could ever hope to be. And, of course, it all kicks off Friday evening with a keg tapping. Here are some of the dishes, events and music acts you can expect.

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FOOD

Over the past few years, Germanfest has concentrated on expanding the authentic food options available at the festival. Needless to say, we think they accomplished their mission.

German Schnitzel dinners, custom brats and metts with brötchen, famous Liederkranz potato salad, sauerkraut and pretzels are all on the menu. A wide variety of amazing authentic desserts, including Bienenstich and Strudel, will also be available.

These items and more will also be available for carryout pickup on Friday, Aug. 13 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 14 from 5 p.n. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 15 from noon to 2 p.m. Customers can place an order for carryout by visiting the Dayton Liederkranz-Turner’s website.

No other event in the area can match the available German draft and bottled beers at Germanfest. This year’s festivities will feature a robust selection of German draft, craft and domestic beers. A selection of German wines and spirits round out the drink menu.

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ENTERTAINMENT

The festival will feature German-style entertainment, including the Aaron Dussing and the Polka Revolution performing on Friday, Band 5 performing on Saturday afternoon, and The Klaberheads performing on Saturday evening and Sunday.

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ACTIVITIES

The Germanfest Picnic has several other activities in store, including a kids play area, Culture Display, virtual fashion show, the Best German Potato Salad Contest and more. The full schedule of events can be found on the Germanfest Picnic’s Facebook page.