Fremont Oktoberfest Kicks Off the Fall Season In Seattle

Beer, music, and comely lasses: You know it must be fall when Oktoberfest rolls around. This Friday, the Fremont Oktoberfest kicks off with three days of live music, events, and, of course, the best selection of brews from around the Northwest and the world. The Fest is at Phinney Ave. & N. 35th St., right near Brouwer's Cafe. Tickets are $20 advance (which includes 6 tasting coins) or $25 for the "Buxom" package (10 tastes), or $25 at the gates.

First, the beer. More than 30 breweries, many local, are represented in the beer garden. Geoff Kaiser over at Seattle Beer News has a nice preview of noteworthy brews on tap, including, most intriguingly, the Whistler Brewing Black Tusk black ale. Check his entire run-down : Geoff's one of the best in the business when it comes to sniffing out the hidden treasures of the beer world. Of course, these are for your 5 oz. sample sizes. Anyone wanting a bit more than a sip can slip into the Tap House Grill "buxom" beer garden for full sized drinks.

Oh, and speaking of buxom, Friday night at 7 p.m. is the Miss Buxom Girl contest . Now, this being Seattle, the Miss Buxom contest isn't just limited to the fairer sex: as long as you're dressed in a buxom beer girl costume that's vaguely authentic (but includes a piece of Fremont flair) you're eligible to enter, regardless of gender. And first prize isn't half-bad: two Seahawks tickets, two Sounders tickets, a hotel gift certificate, and ten more tickets for you and your friends to come back to Oktoberfest either Saturday or Sunday.

The music line-up features a couple great local acts, including the Tea Cozies and the Torn ACLs back-to-back on Saturday. There's a comedy show Saturday at 7 p.m., and other events include the Brew Ha-Ha 5K run Sunday morning, at 10 a.m., from 34th & Fremont Ave. down to the Festival. Dogs are welcome on Sunday starting with the run and leading up to a couple competitions, including a Santa's Little Helper lookalike competition. And there's chainsaw pumpkin carving both Saturday and Sunday.