The fifth annual 3rd Planet Brewing Oktoberfest will take place this weekend in Niceville.

The event, which helps the local chapters of the Knights of Columbus raise money for charity, plans to plate more than 1,000 brats for locals coming to join in the festivities.

In addition to the food and beer – the Oompah band Edelweiss will crank up their accordions and tubas to entertain the crowd from 5-8 PM.

Admission to the event itself is free – but the food and beer do cost. The brewery will also host Tacos 30A for those who don’t think German food is wünderbar. Dippin Dots food truck and a cigar truck will also be on site for the day.

Other events include a keg toss (at 12:30) and the first big road test for the Niceville Brewery and its new pole barn beer hall.

It also marks a special moment for one of the owners, Fran Camosse. Fran has been to almost every major event at the brewery but will miss this one as he welcomes a new baby to his family.

Camosse, who serves as the brewery’s taproom manager, says his team’s skill and abilities mean he can leave work and enjoy this special moment with his family – a sign of the brewery’s maturation as a business venture. “I feel like, at this point, we’re a well-oiled machine running these large events. Our staff is unbelievable, and you just can’t do something like this without a staff like that. There are just too many moving parts,” he noted with pride over the phone on Monday.

What is Oktoberfest?

Oktoberfest – celebrated for the two weeks or so that lead up to the first Sunday in October – originated in Munich, Bavaria (Germany). The festival started in 1810 and celebrated the marriage of two royals.

Today, the Oktoberfest in Munich brings almost eight million people to the city to celebrate the festival.