Last Thursday the official Oktoberfest celebration officially kicked off. Normally, this annual festival attracts upwards of six million visitors to Munich, Germany, to imbibe a very specific style of beer, eat roast chicken, and host athletic steinholding contests. Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the city cancelled this year's Oktoberfest festival. But that doesn't mean that we need to forgo fall altogether.

In fact, you can still host your own party at home or even your own steinholding competition. According their website, "the U.S. Steinholding Association (USSA) was formed as a means of promoting the sport of Steinholding/Masskrugstemmen and bringing it to a wider audience." And in all their years of training, competing, judging, and organizing steinholding competitions, the USSA has seen incredible examples of athleticism, determination, and sportsmanship. The USSA has made it their goal to share these experiences around the country and the world.

So this Oktoberfest we challenge you to hold a stein! Whether it's for five seconds, five minutes and thirty-four seconds — the U.S. Women's National Record set by Jennifer Kuklentz — or an incredible world-record-breaking twenty-one minutes and seventeen seconds set by Michael Tyler at the 2018 Lenny Coyne Memorial Hofbräu National Masskrugstemmen Championships at the Steuben Day Parade and New York City Oktoberfest. (Note that, since there is no world-level competition, these are U.S. records kept by the USSA.)

But if steinholding isn't your thing, you can still unlock our newest "Steinholding 2021" badge just by checking-in any beer and uploading a photo of your favorite stein —whether you're holding it or not! 

Plus, post your stein photo on Instagram with the hashtag #steinsup for the chance to win an exclusive Untappd Oktoberfest stein. We'll choose the most interesting, unique, fun steins as the winners. We'll release all the details on our Instagram on Friday 9/24. So keep and eye out and stay tuned! 

If you're nein on the stein, we're also releasing a new "Oktoberfest 2021" badge. To earn this badge simply check-in a beer from one of the original Munich breweries — Augustiner-Bräu München (Augustiner), Hacker-Pschorr, Staatliches Hofbräuhaus München (Hofbräu),Paulaner Brauerei, and Spaten-Franziskaner-Löwenbräu-Gruppe (Spaten).

In fact, most of these breweries brew Oktoberfests that make Untappd's Top-Rated Oktoberfests of 2021. 

From steinholding to drinking beer from original Oktoberfest breweries out of your favorite stein, make this an Oktoberfest to remember. Even if you can't celebrate in Munich. 

There is only one thing left to say: Prost!