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German Celebrations In Houston
Houston is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States. Diverse ethnicities means there is a colorful spectrum of cultures including German culture. German- Texan culture can be traced back to the mid 1800s when a number of Germans migrated to the United States to take advantage of the opportunities and to escape religious persecution. They established the New Braunfels and Fredericksburg settlements in Central Texas. There celebrations, festivals and general culture also found its way into Houston.
Celebrations And Festivals That Happen Every Year
There are a number of annual German festivals and celebrations that you can enjoy in Houston. You can find these festivals from the Downtown to the Bay Area and in between all year round. They include:
- Oktoberfest Houston: It is an adults-only German festival where people wear lederhosen and sip beer from giant mugs. There is live music, folk and polka dancers and even games. The games include a barrel roll, stein hoisting and stein race, brat toss and more.
- Tomball German Heritage Festival: It is a German Heritage Festival hosted by Tomball every spring. The festival activities include a weekend-long Carnival, a German-style street party, sampling of authentic German food being served and more.
- King’s Oktoberfest: It is held in Kings Biergaten in Pearland and Kings BierHaus located in the Heights. There is a lot of beer drinking, live music and other exciting activities. The festival often starts with local government representatives performing the ceremonial Keg tap on Friday at 7.pm, and then the festivities continue all weekend.
Other festivals include the Tomball German Christmas market, Island Oktoberfest, and Karbachtoberfest. You should be prepared to drink lots of beer during German celebrations and festivals. But if you really want to enjoy yourself do the drinking in moderation, drink lots of water and sample the food being served.
German Cuisine in Houston
There are a number of restaurants and bars that serve authentic German food in Houston. These include:
- Rudi Lechner’s: They reel you in with their scrumptious wurst and then you find that you cannot get enough of their various sausages, and schnitzels. Enjoy their family night buffets offered every Wednesday at a reasonable price, as you listen to the great live music. They also host an annual Oktoberfest celebration.
- Charivari: The restaurant offers a variety of European flavors thanks to Chef Johahnn Schuster, who was born in Romania but moved to United States. They offer jaeger schnitzel, tarte flambé Alsacean, Bavarian-style roasted duck, and a variety of German brandies.
- Alpine Brauhaus: Located at the Bay area, the Alpine Brauhaus offers Spaten beer, schnitzel and German cheese-cake. Their prices are reasonable and their goulash memorable. However, if you want a variety of authentic German food, this is not the place to find it.
- The Sauer Kraut Food Truck: You can find this food truck all over town and they serve German pulled pork, schnitzel sandwiches, bratwurst, currywurst fries, and braised red cabbage
- Deutscher Fleishwagen: It is located at Under the Radar Brewery. You can order a variety of German food here from brats to pretzels, to fried potatoes, and sausages.