OVER-THE-RHINE - Cincinnati's ultimate celebration of Cincinnati's brewing heritage turns 21 this year. Bockfest 2013 will kick off Friday, March 1 and continue through Sunday, March 3.
The celebration begins with a parade Friday evening that starts at Arnold's Bar and Grill, Cincinnati's oldest saloon, and ends at Bockfest Hall in Over-the-Rhine (1619 Moore Street), where the ceremonial first keg is blessed.
On Saturday, you can participate in the new Bockfest 5K, which is part of the Christian Moerlein Beer Series through the Flying Pig Marathon.
Bockfest Hall is open throughout the weekend with live entertainment, food, brewery tours, and Saturday night is the finals of the Sausage Queen contest. Sunday is Continental Sunday, where Bockfest Hall will be the site for dancing, music, a German buffet and $1 off beer for anyone in traditional German dress.
Over a dozen participating venues in Over-the-Rhine and the central business district will join in the Bockfest celebration, all with no admission fee. In addition, a free shuttle bus runs a continuous loop among the Bockfest sites all weekend long.
Other activities include the Bockfest Local Bock Beer Celebration and Homebrew Competition on Saturday, March 2, and the Beer Barons Bock Tours on March 2 and March 3, a two-and-a-half-hour walking tour of Cincinnati's brewing heritage.
"Little Kings" Sausage Queen Finals will be Saturday, March 2, 7-8:30 p.m. at Bockfest Hall.
Bockfest Parade, Friday, March 1, 6 p.m., the parade starts in front of Arnold's Bar and Grill at 210 East Eighth Street in downtown Cincinnati and travels up to Main Street to Bockfest Hall, ending with the blessing of the bock beer.
For more information on the weekend's events, visit http://www.bockfest.com/.
