The fear of bad weather late Saturday night prompted organizers of Denver’s 38th annual Oktoberfest to cancel the final leg of the six-day event today.
As it turned out, most of today was a perfect autumn day.
“You can imagine I was surprised to wake up Sunday morning with the sun shining,” said Oktoberfest director Margaret Ebeling, the event’s coordinator.
She said today she could not estimate the financial loss of canceling the last day.
The event usually draws more than 250,000 visitors to Lower Downtown over the two three-day weekends, but Sundays are usually the slowest days and the last Sunday is usually the slowest single day, Ebeling said.
Organizers contacted vendors, sponsors and volunteer groups Saturday night before making the decision to cancel, Ebeling said, with a stiff wind gusting through LoDo Saturday night and weather forecasters predicting rain and cold today.
“I was looking at it strictly from a financial standpoint,” she said. “… From a financial standpoint, it was the right decision.”
Oktoberfest costs about $500,000 to stage but had an economic impact of $11.4 million in 2004, according to a market research study.
Organizers relocated the event this year, from its traditional location on Larimer Square to the Ball Park neighborhood a few blocks away on Larimer Street between 20th and 22nd streets.
While attendance had been up the first weekend this year, it tailed off Saturday with numerous downtown events that siphoned off revelers, including a Rockies baseball game, Ebeling said.
Broncos’ home football games, such as the one today, also have hurt attendance in the past, she said.
Oktoberfest Denver bills itself as one of the city’s longest-running festivals and one of the United States’ largest fall festivals for German culture.
The fete originated in Germany in 1810, as a celebration of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese.Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
