Shauna Steigerwald

ssteigerwald@enquirer.com

Members of FC Cincinnati will lead the "World's Largest Chicken Dance" at this year's Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, set for Sept. 16-18.

Event producer the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber announced Thursday that the soccer club's president and general manager Jeff Berding, head coach John Harkes and members of the 2016 roster will be this year's grand marshals. Among their duties will be leading the chicken dance, which will take place at 4:30 p.m. Sunday on at the Sam Adams Main Stage at Second and Elm Streets.

That's a little something different for the event: Though a duo has led the chicken dance before, an entire team never has, according to Rich Walburg, communications director for the chamber said.

"We're very excited to represent our city and our German heritage," Berding said during Thursday's press conference. "It's what makes Cincinnati great is that we have such great culture."

The event moves to a new location this year, at Second and Third streets between Walnut and Elm Streets, Downtown. In recent years, Oktoberfest was held on Fifth Street, between Vine Street and Sentinel. Not having to stop the streetcar during its second week in operation was a consideration for the move, chamber officials said when the change was announced. The new site will be larger and will feature 50 percent more seating, chamber officials said.

Wider streets at the new site mean the event will be "less elbow-to-elbow and fork-to-fork," according to Cynthia Oxley, the chamber's director of events and sponsorship.

Also new this year will be the Zinzinnati Bier Garten, located at Third and Race Streets. It will feature with local craft beer from Braxton, MadTree, Rhinegeist and Rivertown, sports on a big screen and live music. Samuel Adams representatives will be on hand in the new bier garten sampling with three Cincinnati-brewed beers that event goers can vote on. The style that gets the most votes will become the brewery's soon-to-be-released “513 Beer," which will be sold locally.

The 2016 Oktoberfest season schedule

This year's Oktoberfest will also offer new tie-ins with our local sports teams. There's a Cincinnati Reds Oktoberfest Zinzinnati ticket package (the Reds play four games that weekend, including two on Saturday), which includes a game ticket, a commemorative Cincinnati Reds/Oktoberfest Zinzinnati mug, and one drink each at the game and Oktoberfest. On Sunday, Oktoberfest will have a "pre-game happy hour," with $1 off beers from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Also on tap at this year's event: Nine stages of live entertainment, 50-inch TVs in all four fest tents, 200 menu items, 90 varieties of beer (including limited quantities of special release beers from Sam Adams, Rhinegeist and Sierra Nevada), and nine bier gartens and fest tents. Returning are the annual Running of the Wieners, Christian Moerlein Glockenspiel and Bier Garten, Goodwill Games, Opening Ceremonies (Sam Adams founder and Cincinnati native Jim Koch will tap the ceremonial “first keg"), World Brat Eating Championship and Samuel Adams Stein Hoisting.

More than 600,000 people attended last year's event, officials estimate.

An event-specific website, GetToOktoberfest.com, will provide directions to the event; preferred parking locations; public transit information (including streetcar stops); designated pickup locations for Lyft, Uber and taxis; and road closures/construction information.

Event hours will be 5 p.m.-midnight Friday, 11 a.m.-midnight Saturday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday.

Information: www.oktoberfestzinzinnati.com

