German Park Recreation Club — Attraction in Northfield Township

It was my first time and had no idea what to expect, so I just decided to go with the flow. $5 entry was easy enough, and then off to the ticket counter to buy beer tickets. Grab $40 worth and head to the beer... pavilion (?)... whatever you want to call it and grabbed a beer for $6 worth of tickets.

Then I saw it. People walking away with buckets of beer. Now, let me tell your that it is draft beer. Not bottles. So even I saw the sign for $20 bucket of beer I didn't know what to expect, I assumed a handful of bottles not A PHYSICAL BUCKET OF DRAFT BEER. Btw, this isn't bud light, it's German beer that you can't pronounce with your American tongue. You'll try. You'll fail. It's ok.

So, after collecting myself and realizing the financial mistake I had made I finished my beer and ordered a bucket of it. You get probably 5+ full beer cups out of a bucket and refills on the actual bucket are only $17 so you're saving even more!

They have delicious food and snacks and it's all traditional German fare with a fast lane of food called the Autobahn that is a fixed menu and price versus choose your own adventure. There's live music all day and dancing and traditional German dancing shows. All around, it's a fantastic time and it's only available 3 times per year. The last Saturday in June, July, and August every year.

Do I recommend going? Yes. Do I recommend the food? Also yes. Is it super reasonable for how well fed and how drunk you can get? Also also yes. Go get your Oktoberfest on in the middle of summer in Michigan....

08/22- Wow! We loved German Park!! This is such a fun time for everyone, family friendly before sundown and beer fest after. They have great food, live music, dancing and lots of beer! Try to arrive early, the line to enter the park gets long quickly and once in the park the ticket, food and drink lines pile up quick. Be sure to bring cards and games to pass the time (maybe don't bring anything with lots of little pieces lol), a table cloth to make the table more comfortable and to reserve your spots at the table, and whatever other creature comforts you'll want. The best way to enjoy German Park is to get there early and stay as late as you can! Be sure to come hungry, if you wait too long to get in line for food it can take a while. The sausage cart has just wurst, pretzels and drinks to help with the possibly-hour-long wait. Also beer helps. If you're a drinker, this is the festival for you! 64oz buckets of beer for $20 ($17 refills). This is the best deal all year! They have a cute souvenir tent that accepts credit card or tickets! Do yourself a favor and really enjoy the celebrations with a ceramic stein, enamel pin or flower crown. Don't be like us and remember to exchange your extra tickets at the end of the night for cash back!

Update 08/23- Inflation has hit hard! Buckets of beer are now $23 and refills are $20. This is the first year in who knows how long the refills haven't been $17. :(

Update 08/24- Entry is now $10 per person. Still worth it, probably. Beer buckets...

I made it to their midsummer event last year. The atmosphere, the people, the music, all great!! However, I was more than a little disappointed with the food. I was expecting authentic German. The food I was served was far from it. There was no variety whatsoever. Brat, kraut, and spatzen....The bratwurst was decent being Dearborn brand, but the sauerkraut tasted like it was fermented in an old musty gym sock. It was terrible!! The spatzen was meh with a tiny dab of gravy on it. I mean the gravy was so skimpy it was like why bother?

I happened to be sitting at a table that had a foreign exchange student in her late teens from Germany, and an engineer working in the area from Germany. They both thought the food was terrible and were not afraid to say so! In fact the German exchange student made visible faces when trying the food and you could tell she was not happy with it at all! She ate the brat and left the rest....I would give this event 5 stars all day long if they had better food. I don't know what kind of German cuisine the other posters had to qualify German Park food as 'great', but it must have been pretty bad to call the food at this event 'great'. It most...