The beer will still flow, but a longtime Oktoberfest celebration in Sussex County being modified due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Attendance at the two-day event is being capped at 500 per day, way down from the 15,000 per day who showed up in the past, according to a spokesperson for Mountain Creek Resort.
Getting into to the Vernon resort’s 36th annual Oktoberfest is also undergoing a pandemic-driven change. There’s no more $10 admission fee at the gate.
Instead, tables may be reserved by up to eight attendees, at $1,000 per table. The table reservation includes a 2:30 p.m. feast on both days offering Oktoberfest favorites such as sauerbraten, bratwurst in sauerkraut, roast chicken, potato pancakes with applesauce and sour cream, braised red cabbage and German potato salad.
“Oktoberfest is back this September 19th & 20th, but like all things in life these days, this year’s event will look a little different than Oktoberfests of the past," reads an announcement on the resort’s website.
"While we still have the great food, music, entertainment and of course all that tasty beer we all love … for this year, we’ve taken our traditional Oktoberfest and made it more personal, with a limited capacity of only 500 per day and socially distanced, reserved, table-service format,” it states.
Oktoberfest 2017 at Mountain CreekPhoto courtesy of Mountain Creek Resort
The celebration in Vernon is inspired by the iconic, two-week Oktoberfest beer and folk festival that draws an estimated 6 million visitors every fall in Germany — but not this year.
Officials in Munich cited the coronavirus pandemic upon announcing, in April, that Oktoberfest 2020 would not take place. It had been scheduled to begin Sept. 19.
Outdoor gatherings in New Jersey are limited to 500 under an executive order that Gov. Phil Murphy last modified just before the July 4th holiday weekend.
Jennifer Petrella, a spokesperson for Mountain Creek, said the Vernon event will be held outdoors on the lawn by the Biergarten.
It is being held from noon to 6 p.m. on both days, with the “last pour” at 5:45 p.m.
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Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com