Thorpe Park’s Oktoberfest event was introduced in 2020, inspired by the famous German event of the same name.
Oktoberfest was introduced as a way to diversify the line up in the park in 2020, with some rides closed due to Covid, and the park being significantly quieter too. The event included some German food offerings, audio changes to some rides and small amounts of entertainment.
The event has grown throughout the years, with a wider variety of alcoholic beverages and food available, and a larger entertainment offering. The park have also centred Oktoberfest in the Dockyard area, primarily outside Ghost Train’s entrance, to improve the quality of the event.
The entertainment on offer has included:
- Oompah bands
- Bavarian Dance shows
- Roaming actors
- Live music
The 2020 event was, in some ways, the biggest event, as it had later operating hours (open until 8pm Fridays and Saturdays), and was attempting to draw more people into the park following a limited operating season.
In later years, the event has had more on offer, but is still a small event. This is because the event is sandwiched between a busy summer period and the busier time of year, Fright Nights. Also, September is when the bulk of Fright Nights preparation occurs, meaning Oktoberfest is a smaller, low-key event.
The details of the 2024 event are still to be announced, but it will run daily from Friday 6th September to Sunday 22nd September.
Reviews
We have visited every single Oktoberfest event since it started in 2020! Below are our mini reviews for each year.
Oktoberfest 2024
Oktoberfest 2024 scaled down the 2023 version of the event. Again based entirely in The Dock Yard area, the event featured two stage shows (an Oompah Band and a dance show), as well as roaming actors at points in the day.
The park put a bigger focus on the Bavarian Alps, with the return of the cable-car seating and ski-slope / ride signs. The park also included snow-covered Christmas trees. as well as snow effects during the main show! Indeed, the return of the cable-car seating has helped encourage people stay in the area longer.
Oktoberfest remains a reasonably short event still, which is just before the park’s busiest time of the year. It is fair to say the offering reflects that, and that it is an event that exists to help create an extra buzz during what is usually the quietest period of the season. But it does help create that buzz, and the middle of the park does come alive during the shows!
Oktoberfest 2023
Oktoberfest 2023 was very similar to the 2022 iteration of the event. Centralised entirely in The Dock Yard area, but featuring a decent number of food and beverage stalls, and a large variety of entertainment throughout the day, Oktoberfest felt like a great event which spiced up the usual September lull.
The park have also invested a bit more into the theming around the Oktoberfest area. Indeed, the park have lent into the Alps-side of Germany, with cable-car style seating, snowy statues and signage linked to the rides themed to ski-slopes (including a little teaser for Project Exodus!). This has helped create a more complete feel to the area, and it was great to see people staying around the area for longer.
Oktoberfest is a reasonably short event still, sandwiched between the park’s busiest times of year. In that sense, it would be easy for the park to treat this like the middle, forgotten child of events, but it’s clear to see the park remain dedicated to making the most of this event, and we hope it continues next year!
Oktoberfest 2022
Returning for 2022, Oktoberfest is now largely localised in The Dock Yard, with a clear focus on bringing guests to the Oktoberfest area. For a small event, we think this is the perfect way to implement this and make the most of it.
The park have a variety of entertainment on offer, with actors doing their own, and also an external, professional oompah band hired in to add an extra layer of authenticity. This means that, despite the event being smaller in terms of its on-park reach, it feels bigger and better than ever before!
Oktoberfest 2021
Oktoberfest returns for 2021, with an expanded entertainment offering, and an expanded tent hub in the Lost City area.
We were happy to see that the park improved the main Oktoberfest area, with more food/drink offerings here, along with a more developed entertainment offering throughout the day. It was also nice to see special, Oktoberfest-themed, food and drink on the menu throughout the park, with many being exclusive to individual units.
Oktoberfest music continues to play across the park, although sometimes this feels a bit awkward. The park are clearly committed to the event, but it seems they are unsure whether to restrict it to a certain area/areas of the park, or go for a whole park theme. It seems they are testing the waters with both, and we look forward to seeing what the park decide going forwards in future years!
Oktoberfest 2020
Oktoberfest was announced in July, just before the park reopened for the season. Though an event which wasn’t originally meant to happen, it’s clear that the event has had lots of thought put into it, making the most of a small space in a short time.
We really enjoyed the music overlays across certain rides, with Oompah music randomly taking over certain rides. The Rumba Rapids overlay to the “Oompah Rapids” was pretty cool as well.
The main entertainment area, outside Ghost Train, was a nice touch, and we enjoyed the shows on offer. However, it’s fair to say the area could be developed a bit more, with just a couple of food/drink offerings there, and also some more theming would be nice to see.
All in though, this was a great first year for a new event, filling in the September lull, and we hope to see this become a permanent fixture in the park’s event calendar!