THE SOUNDS and tastes of Bavaria were enjoyed in Alcester last Saturday (October 5) thanks to a joint effort between the Royal Oak pub and Alcester Victoria Silver Band (AVSB).
The two paired up to put on an Oktoberfest celebration where Bratwurst and Weissbier were the order of the day.
Customers and staff got into the spirit by dressing up in German costumes and enjoyed traditional Oompah music played by the band along with some other well-known contemporary tunes.
A raffle with prizes donated from several local businesses made £604.14 for the band and brain injury charity Headway.
Landlady Ruth McLaren said: “Special thanks to Jane Richard of the silver band who gave me a tiny acorn of an idea, which turned into Oktoberfest. I am so grateful to all the musicians who played all afternoon and into the evening. It was a fabulous day and the pub had a real buzz about it.
The proceedings opened and closed in German by Cohl Warren Howls and Maya Evans.
Miriam Hall from AVSB added: “It was a really successful event and it was great to see so many people come out for it and help raise funds for the band and the charity Headway. We’re also looking forward to getting in the diary for next year.”
Oktoberfest is a two-week festival held each year in Munich, Germany during late September and early October.
It is attended by six million people each year and has inspired numerous similar events in Germany and around the world.
The band’s next performance is a free concert this Saturday night (October 12) at The Greig Hall where together with Arrow Valley Brass and Bretforton Silver Band a memorial concert will be performed in memory of the late Dave Stanley who conducted all three ensembles.
To register for a free ticket go to Ticket Source and search for ‘Dave Stanley Memorial Concert’.
