After two rounds of postponement due to weather, Wakefield Oktoberfest happened this Saturday, featuring live music, food and multiple different vendors.
Oktoberfest is hosted each year by the Contemporary Theater Company and PHIL’S Main Street Grille, according to Maggie Cady, the general manager of CTC.
The event was originally set to be held on Oct. 7, with a rain date on Oct. 14. After Oct. 7 proved to be a rainy day, event coordinators looked at the forecast for the 14th and decided to hold off until later in the month.
“It’s rained every Saturday in October, so we’re just really grateful that the weather today has been absolutely perfect,” Cady said. “We’re just so glad that so many people have heard and are coming out to have some fun with us.”
Cady said that due to the poor weather, some of the bands and talent that originally were supposed to perform on Oct. 7 were not able to make it, leading the committee to pivot and have different acts than originally planned. Despite this, she said that the performers were “fantastic.”
PHIL’s staff had a stand that offered food varying from fair classics like hot dogs, pretzels and doughboys to German treats like bratwurst, chicken schnitzel and German potato salad. Whalers Brewing Company was selling different beers and cocktails, such as apple cider margaritas and pumpkin flavored beer.
The event had three different stages for performances, according to the CTC website. Some performances included a Disney’s Frozen singalong, the Trishula Dance Company and the RI Bucket Drummers.
According to Cady, the event has been happening for seven or eight years, but the CTC and PHIL’s took over hosting it in 2021. Prior to their takeover, the event was hosted by the Wakefield Village Association, who decided to step away from hosting it after the COVID-19 pandemic.
All proceeds made from the event, such as ticket sales, go to support the work of the Contemporary Theater Company, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Cady said. Some of the amenities that it goes towards is their productions, financial aid for students taking summer camps at their facilities and keeping ticket prices low at their shows.
Planning an event of this caliber is no easy task and takes months of preparation, Cady said.
“It’s months and months of planning and meetings,” Cady said. “There’s a whole committee that is working for literally months ahead of time and then in the weeks leading up to it, we get even more volunteers.” The event had around 33 vendors and was sponsored in part by local marijuana dispensaries, CannCure Cultivation in Warwick and SweetSpot in Exeter. Cady said that some vendors call this event their favorite of the year because of the fun atmosphere that it provides.
“It’s been a great day,” Cady said. “For us, as a theater company, doing an event like this is very much within our mission and it’s what we do, we do events and love bringing the community together and getting everybody involved.”