Upon entering the park we immediately noticed the themed music and that Towers Street has been decorated with banners, bunting and pretzels. At the end, a giant archway leads you into the event area.

From 2pm every day until Sunday 4th October, the front lawns are home to this new Bavarian-themed event, complete with Lederhosen-clad hosts and an oompah band!

It's a great setting for families and friends looking to chill out in a relaxed atmosphere. This relatively underused space is perfect for such an event, as it's surrounded by trees and has the lake and towers as a backdrop.

Alton Towers has introduced hundreds of socially distanced picnic benches and barrel tables, so there is plenty of space for everyone. There are also a couple of fire pits, which will be very welcome on cooler evenings.

The decorations extend into Mutiny Bay and opposite Wicker Man, but the lawns are really the hub of the event.

Entertainment

Within the event area there are two stages; one for the main shows and band, and another for solo and acoustic performances. The entertainment flips between the two stages throughout the event - featuring a selection of vocalists, musicians, characters, and the brilliant oompah band German Jukebox.

There are also various amusing characters roaming the area; in particular a curious chap with a giant horn, and a pair of elderly festival goers.

Friday - Sunday the live entertainment is until 8.30pm, and Monday - Thursday it's until 7pm.

Food & Drink

Several themed kiosks are positioned along one side of the Oktoberfest area:

• Bier Keller - serving a selection of German beers such as Spaten, Erdinger and Beck's Vier (£4.60-£5.50 a pint) as well as other drinks.
• Spanferkel - delicious hog roast sandwiches with apple sauce and stuffing (£8).
• Schwenk Grill - a choice of traditional wursts (sausages) in pretzel bread; Bratwurst, ⁣Beef Chilli Frankfurter and a vegan option (all £8).
• Geladene Pommes - generous portions of loaded fries with 4 types of toppings available; Deutsche, Mexican, Texas and Fish (all £8).
• Lebkuchen - a selection of sweet treats and hot drinks. Our favourites were the Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Apple Strudel Blondie, both served with cream.
• Toasted Marshmallows - warm up around the fire pit, and toast your own marshmallow (£2.50 each).
• Hot Spiced Glühwein - a classic mulled wine (£6) that's a bit disappointing. It's a simple bottled product without any added ingredients like cinnamon sticks or fruit.

A second bar, Draft Bier Wunderbar, is located in the Mutiny Bay courtyard, serving Spaten and Becks Vier.

Merchandise

• Oktoberfest Shop - a range of Oktoberfest merchandise is available from a dedicated tent; a Pin Badge (£5), plastic Stein (£5), Bavarian Hat (£5), Beer Mug (£15), Lederhosen T-Shirt (£18), Oktoberfest T-Shirt (£25) and Oktoberfest Hoodie (£35).

Rides

We had plenty of time to enjoy the main rides, with queue times reaching a maximum of 45 minutes but many were walk-on. A highlight was riding The Smiler at the end of the night in the dark.

Friday - Sunday the rides and attractions are open until 8pm (CBeebies Land closes at 7pm) and Monday - Thursday they're open until 6pm.

Due to COVID-19, the queues and seating arrangements have been modified, and we were really impressed with how the park has adapted its operations. The vast majority of visitors were following the rules such as social distancing, wearing masks on rides and in covered areas, and regular use of alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

Alton Towers Oktoberfest continues daily until Sunday 4th October.

The event is a great way to encourage more people to visit the park in the period between the end of the summer school holidays, and the start of Alton Towers Scarefest.

We would definitely recommend making a visit, as all the extra entertainment a nice addition to a day out at the park, plus the event space is ideal for eating and drinking given the current need for social distancing.

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