Brighton Ski Resort is throwing its first fall festival starting this weekend, and although the six-week event runs into October, don’t call it an Oktoberfest.
In fact, Brighton is going as far as to call its event Not Oktoberfest, and focusing less on beer (although there will still be beer) and more on enjoying food and mountain scenery in the fall.
Jared Winkler, spokesperson for Brighton, said, “Everybody else is doing Oktoberfest, so we decided to just do the opposite and just come up with our own thing.”
With Brighton branching out into summer activities at the resort this year, like lift-accessible mountain biking, scenic lift rides and disc golf, Winkler said the resort wanted to create an event that would support all that through food and beverage.
Not trying to compare its event to any others, Winkler said, Brighton’s Not Oktoberfest will be family-friendly, with activities like bounce houses, giant foosball, cornhole, a mechanical bull, DJs, ax-throwing, roping play cows and more.
Not Oktoberfest will be free, it won’t have a Bavarian theme, no reservations will be required, and parking will also be free, Winkler said.
The main event at Not Oktoberfest will be the inaugural Foodie Wars: chef showdowns featuring Brighton’s executive chef Jeffrey Sanich and others going up against the executive chefs from other Utah restaurants.
The festival’s kickoff weekend on Saturday and Sunday will feature the Brighton smoking team led by pitmaster Dan McAllister going up against Lush’s Tennessee BBQ from Park City, R&R BBQ from Salt Lake City, and Slopeside Smokeshack from Millcreek to see who can make the best brisket.
“People get to come up and taste those entries ... and then judge on who they think is say the best brisket maker in Salt Lake,” Winkler said.
There will be a different culinary theme every weekend:
A portion of the proceeds from food sales will benefit the Utah Food Bank.
Attendees can purchase draft and canned beer separately. Lift tickets must be purchased separately as well.
The Not Oktoberfest festival will run every weekend through Oct. 12.
Meanwhile, Snowbird’s Oktoberfest continues on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 12 in Little Cottonwood Canyon. And Snowbasin’s SnowWiesn Oktoberfest also runs Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 12, in the mountains east of Ogden.