TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The annual Downtown Twin Falls Oktoberfest is taking over Main Avenue this Friday and Saturday, closing off two blocks to bring 40-45 vendors, food trucks and entertainment to the heart of the city.
WATCH: Downtown Twin Falls Oktoberfest runs Friday and Saturday on Main Avenue with vendors, food trucks, live music and a quaffing tournament.
Oktoberfest organizer Ben Lyda said the event has something for the whole family.
"We're closing off two blocks of Main Avenue - we've got about 40-45 vendors, food trucks, lots of entertainment – fun for the whole family," Lyda said.
The festival runs from 3 to 10 on Friday and noon to 10 on Saturday.
A stage near Koto will host live music on one end of the event, while a family fun area near the commons features a bounce house, face painting and casino games on the other.
"On the end – more towards Koto – we've got the stage, live music – on the other end, towards the commons we've got a family fun area – bounce house, face painting, some people doing some casino games for the whole family – lots of food trucks down there as well," Lyda said.
For organizers Lyda and Shane Cook, the two-day festival is about more than beer and bratwurst. Cook said the event serves as an economic boost for downtown businesses before the winter slowdown.
"Part of its tradition, part of it's for the downtown businesses – going into the winter season it slows down quite a bit downtown... so it's like one big boost before we get to Black Friday," Cook said.
Local shop owners welcome the extra foot traffic, with events like Oktoberfest putting storefronts in front of hundreds of new potential customers at once.
Chris Cawthra, owner of Bull Moose Bike Shop, said the event brings in faces not often seen on Main Avenue.
"oh yeah! It's great. We get a lot of people downtown – a lot of people we don't normally see – kind of puts more eyes on the business down here on Main Street," Cawthra said.
Cawthra said downtown Twin Falls is already an active destination on a good day.
"It's vibrant, it's cool - there is a lot going on. You get a nice day, and there's people walking up and down the streets, there's people hanging out at the restaurants... You get an event going, the people get a little loose..." Cawthra said.
For those in search of true Oktoberfest spirit, organizers point to one event as a must-see.
"I'd say the biggest one is our quaffing tournament – it draws a big crowd, it's fun and entertaining – if you haven't seen it, you need to come out and see it... It gets a little crazy," Lyda said.
Cook offered his own description of the tournament.
"It's like gymnastics but with drinking beer," Cook said.
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