INDIANAPOLIS — Now that Labor Day has come and gone, Fall is just around the corner. That means a day celebrating Indy's deep German heritage is getting close...and it's bringing back a massively popular event this year.
"The live weiner dog races are back", said Craig Mince, president of the Athenaeum Foundation about the fan favorite for the 14th Annual German Fest. The last live weiner dog race happened in 2019 before the pandemic. Mince says they had a virtual version of the race at last year's German Fest, but the seriousness of the competition means that the return to an in-person running should be right up the alley of race fans in Indiana. "There is a group of folks that travel around to multiple German Fests and Octoberfests every season and they race these dogs as if they are in the NASCAR circuit, so they definitely go head to head in a lot of different locales," Mince said.
There will also be other competitions, including the stein hold — holding full beer steins (water inside, not beer) at the side of your body for a long as you can. There will also be a new keg toss this year — empty kegs, not full. The German American Klub of Indianapolis will provide authentic German food, and there will be plenty of German beer for you to enjoy responsibly.
German Fest is the biggest fundraiser each year for the Athenaeum Foundation, helping to maintain the building that will celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2023. Tickets are now on sale, and it will cost you less to buy them in advance that it will to purchase at the door. Click here to find out how you can get your tickets now.
