Litchfield Park is getting ready to welcome fall with the annual Oktoberfest celebration, coming to The Wigwam Oct. 2.

The celebration will be held on the lawn of The Wigwam and will feature outdoor games, German-inspired cuisine and live music from oldies tribute band The Fabulous Keen Brothers.

Oktoberfest is Litchfield Park’s first activity in the city’s special event season, and the city has cosponsored the event with The Wigwam for more than 15 years.

Tricia Kramer, the city’s community and recreation director, said while the event brings in some money for the city, it’s geared more as a community event as opposed to a revenue-generator.

“It’s more to get the community back out and interacting with each other,” Kramer said.

But there will be no beer steins or lederhosens for some. COVID-19 has shuttered the original Oktoberfest in Munich for the past two years, and organizers for some local Oktoberfest events have also announced another year of cancellations.

Kramer said while masks are optional, attendance at the Litchfield Park Oktoberfest will be capped at 800 guests, which is about half of the event’s pre-pandemic attendance.

“We’re still in COVID times, so it’s not going to be a typical...Oktoberfest,” Kramer said, adding that “we’re transitioning back towards that.”

Last year, attendance was capped at 250 people, and masks were required for entry.

“We ran Oktoberfest last year safely, and we anticipate that we can do that again this year,” Kramer said.

While the main event is for adults 21 and older, children will now be able to participate in the festivities.

Parents who wish to partake in the night’s events can drop their children off at the Litchfield Elementary School cafeteria, where they can enjoy child-friendly Oktoberfest-themed games, crafts, a pizza dinner and a movie.

The cafeteria is directly across the street from The Wigwam, at 255 E. Wigwam Blvd. Tickets cost $20, and $15 for each additional child. Children must be three years old and up and fully potty trained to attend Kinderfest.