Cheers! Organisers ordering 30,000 litres of German beer for Portsmouth Oktoberfest

With just 23 days to go until the start of the event in Guildhall Square, organisers have revealed that 30,000 litres of German beer will be available for thirsty visitors looking for a slice of the continent in Portsmouth.

Preparations are well under way for the Oktoberfest, which will be staged inside Europe’s single largest beer tent outside the Guildhall, swallowing up the civic office’s steps and the Queen Victoria statue.

And it’s been confirmed that the widely-regarded Oompah Brass will be performing their own blend of ‘oompop’ across all three of the festival’s sessions – running through from Friday, October 28, to Saturday, October 29.

Festival co-director Andy Marsh, who is also responsible for Southsea’s annual Victorious Festival, said: ‘The biggest challenge is finding the right beer tent with the right weight load that will be able to hold all of the stuff inside. But there will be a huge structure coming, which is quite exciting.

‘We’re still not 100 per cent where the beer tent is coming from, as there are three different companies putting together the design for it, but it should be pretty spectacular.

‘It’s exciting and something different.

‘It will be the first time Guildhall Square has held anything on this scale, which is great because it’s such an attractive setting.

‘We also want to make sure we have all the Bavarian-inspired stuff as well and ensure it’s in the spirit of Oktoberfest.’

Mr Marsh said discussions were also taking place with officials from Duisburg, a German city that is twinned with Portsmouth, to ensure the right entertainment was being laid on.

Long tables will be laid out for guests to party the night away and there will be an abundance of beer, sausages and pretzels.

But for those who don’t fancy a stein of beer, other drinks will also be available behind the bar.

A very limited numbers of VIP tables of 10 remain on Saturday afternoon.

The action gets under way on the Friday night between 6pm and 11pm.

Saturday afternoon’s session takes place from midday to 5pm, and the final one happens that evening from 6pm to 11pm.

Tickets for unreserved seating cost £20 and a VIP table for 10 is £350.

For further information and tickets, visit oktoberfestportsmouth.co.uk.

Booking fees apply.