The promenade between 23 Ann St. and the Children’s Museum will be filled with food, music and smiles from 1-6 p.m. Oct 22 during Bodega’s Oktoberfest.
Bodega and Share House owner Keith Benjamin said he envisioned events like this since the establishments first opened their doors in February, but the timing never worked out.
“It was really important to kind of get our legs under us before we were to bite off an event [like Oktoberfest],” he added. “Then came the summer, and it’s no secret that the Charleston summers are really, really warm. So it didn’t really behoove us to throw a big festival in the middle of the summer.”
Now Bodega’s first major event, Oktoberfest will feature a large pumpkin display that greets guests entering the promenade as well as rows of vendors showcasing products like clothing and jewelry and live music from Flash Mob. Partnering downtown restaurants including Bedford Falls, Ruby Sunshine and Halls Chophouse will join the fun by offering German-inspired meals.
“We like to take a historical approach and look at what Oktoberfest typically means,” said Alec Gropman, chef of Bodega and Share House. Bratwurst, cheese, ham and smoked pork products take center stage, he said. “Then we kind of put our own spin on it so that it still feels like something representative of Share House or Bodega.”
One standout dish is a cheesy croissant-wrapped bratwurst with house-made white cheddar beer cheese.
Expect lots of beer cheese and bratwurst, along with sweet treats, including a dip-your-own caramel apple experience.
“Our goal was really to go with some kind of pub-fare style restaurants,” Benjamin said. “Obviously Halls isn’t, but they wear many different hats and have some really cool approachable offerings.”
Tickets for Oktoberfest are free. You can register for the event here.
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