Prost! Time for the Annual Laketoberfest

This Saturday marks the 5th annual Laketoberfest at Bailey Road Park! This annual family-friendly event is one of the largest Oktoberfest celebrations in Lake Norman and attracts thousands of guests each year. The festivities kick-off at 4:00 pm. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and get ready to enjoy the beautiful fall evening on the lawn of the Bailey Road Park Amphitheater. This year’s Laketoberfest will feature live music from the Jill Goodson Band, Bailey Hayes Band, and LayLo.

An Oktoberfest wouldn’t be complete without a barrel full of local breweries to supply the suds. This year’s participants include: Ass Clown, Bayne, Bird Song, Blue Blaze, Carolina Brewing Company, D9, Eleven Lakes, Ghostface, Olde Mecklenburg, Primal, Sugar Creek, wine from Dover Vineyards and cider from Red Clay Ciderworks. Event goers will be able to purchase beer and cider tickets for $5 and wine tickets for $7. A portion of event proceeds will go to support the Lake Norman Wildlife Conservationists (LNWC.) LNWC is a chapter of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF) – a community based organization established for the purposes of environmental education, appreciation of wildlife and natural history, and conservation of wildlife habitat and natural resources.

The Town of Cornelius certainly set the stage five years ago with the creation of Laketoberfest, and the event has grown into a tradition that raises considerable funds for local wildlife conservation efforts each year. Bringing people, businesses, and town government together for this event is a perfect example of how communities can work to protect, conserve and restore the natural environment at the grassroots level – it’s win-win for all involved.
—Billy Wilson, President of LNWC

Laketoberfest is presented by the Town of Cornelius PARC Department and sponsored by:  Four Seasons of Lake Norman, Lancaster Custom Dock & Lift Systems, Inc, Stutts Marina, My Aloha Paddle and Surf, Inc, Charlotte Cycleboats and Bella Love, Inc.

Music and beer are not the only attractions to be found at this year’s festival. Food trucks and snack vendors will be posted up along with over two dozen local artisans and community groups. Food Vendors include: A Worthy Dog, Angus Street Meat BBQ, Kona Ice, Lobster Dogs, Mel’s BLT Kitchen, Philly Pretzel Factory, S&K Funnel Cakes, Taco Green-Go, and Zaroob’s.

This year’s local art and community vendors include: Pink Daisy Company, Lake Norman Apparel Company, The Whimsical Wood Shop, The Artist Hutch, The Cornelius Business Alliance, Heart Center Creations, Pet Wants, Baby + Company, Carolina Home Remodeling, Carolina Lily Boutique, Brain Balance, Springfree Trampolines, Orangetheory Fitness, Brew Candle Company, Pepperperfect, Ethnoco, The Bubblee Doublee, Norman Colony, Boulder Designs, Prime Defense Martial Arts, Sarah Wiley Jewelry, Beckscre8tions, Light your wick Candles, Zavia Handmade, and EmOCean Healing Arts.

Plenty for the little ones to see and do at a free kids zone sponsored by Lake Norman YMCA, Cornelius PARC and Great Outdoors University (GoU – a program of North Carolina Wildlife Federation).

Admission and parking are free. Free Shuttle service from Hough High School and Bailey Middle School on Bailey Road.

Gates open at 4:00 pm and event concludes at 9:00 pm. Make sure to make Laketoberfest a must-see on your weekend agenda! Laketoberfest is a fantastic fall tradition for our community that truly makes Cornelius a great place to live, work and play and makes OTC a destination for arts & culture for the LKN region!

A few messages from Town of Cornelius Department of Parks, Arts, Recreation & Culture (PARC): We love our four-legged friends. However, they are not allowed on our turf playing fields, which is where this event is held. No pets. We encourage you to bring a chair or blanket, but please no coolers. No open flames, smoking or e-cigs. Thank you!