Munson and Brothers Trading Post is throwing open its doors for the seventh straight year of Oktoberfest, a three-day downtown Columbus celebration packed with polka music, Bavarian pretzels, and at least 15 types of Oktoberfest beer brewed mostly by local breweries. Owner Ryan Munson said the event, which doubles as the trading post's own sixth anniversary party, has grown with community support each year and that he hopes this edition draws its largest crowd yet.
The festival, as reported by the Commercial Dispatch, kicks off with Columbus Mayor Stephen Jones delivering the opening toast on Friday, marking the second year he has performed the traditional prost. Jones took office as mayor in July 2025 after serving as Ward 5 City Councilman since 2016, succeeding former mayor Keith Gaskin, according to the Commercial Dispatch. A seven-piece polka band called Delta Krauts will play until 8 p.m. on opening night, with The Bouncing Betty also taking the stage. Each night of the festival closes with a group song inspired by Munson's own trip to Germany three years earlier, per the same account.
What Began As An Apothecary Shop
Munson and Brothers opened in October 2020 as a small apothecary shop and has since expanded into a downtown gathering hub with a brick-oven pizza kitchen, an outdoor beer garden, a music stage, and up to 70 craft beer options on tap, according to a profile in Progress magazine. Taste of Home named the venue the best beer garden in Mississippi in 2024, citing its unusual blend of retail apothecary, pizzeria, and local draft selection. That reputation has helped the festival balloon well beyond its original footprint; last year's sixth annual Oktoberfest partnered with the Columbus Arts Council as its primary charity beneficiary and drew 30 artisan vendors alongside live music across two stages, the newspaper reported.
Saturday morning opens with the Barktoberfest pet parade and costume contest, which the Commercial Dispatch says will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Lowndes County Courthouse before starting at 9:30 a.m. and ending at Munson and Brothers Trading Post. The Family Donut 5K follows outside the trading post at 9 a.m., with the Beer 5K starting at 10:30 a.m. Both races benefit the Frank P. Phillips Memorial YMCA in Columbus, an organization established in 1924 whose downtown facility on 2nd Avenue North opened in 1931 and celebrated its 100th anniversary in the city in 2024, according to the same paper's earlier reporting.
Races And Registration Fees
Volunteer race organizer Salem Gibson said the Donut Run is designed to accommodate both children and parents. Registration for the Family Donut 5K costs $30, while the Beer 5K runs $40 for individual entrants or $32 per person for a three-member relay team, per the festival's published details.
Roughly 15 vendors organized through the Golden Triangle Homeless Coalition will set up along Third Street North from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, with vendor fees donated directly to the coalition. That group is currently constructing the Fresh Start Tiny Home Village on Airline Road in Columbus, a project offering three-to-six-month transitional housing for unsheltered residents, including multi-person, family, and disability-accessible units alongside support programs, the Commercial Dispatch has reported. Munson and Brothers has a track record of informal fundraising for the coalition as well, having previously raised $1,500 by auctioning off a local resident's $15 toaster after Ryan and Katherine Munson launched a GoFundMe campaign and hosted a live toast-and-jam party.
Saturday's Full Lineup And Sunday's Free Admission
Saturday's music schedule includes the Shane Tubbs Band at 11 a.m., the Huge Ghost at 2:30 p.m., Wherehouse Dance Company at 6 p.m., and Star and Micey closing out the night at 7 p.m. Stein-holding and beer-chugging competitions round out the day's festivities. Sunday shifts to trivia and karaoke from noon to 6 p.m., and admission that day is free, a departure from Friday and Saturday, when a $5 wristband is required for attendees over age 12. Wristband profits go toward paying the musical artists performing throughout the weekend, and any downtown business receipt for purchases of $5 or more can also cover the cost of admission.
The festival's heavy reliance on craft beer plays out against Mississippi's particular regulatory backdrop. Under Mississippi Department of Revenue rules updated in 2021, small craft breweries operating as retailers may sell up to 25% of their production or 2,500 barrels directly from taprooms, capped at 670 ounces per individual for off-premises consumption daily, according to the Mississippi Department of Revenue. Mississippi also remains the only U.S. state without a comprehensive statewide ban on open alcohol containers inside vehicles, though individual municipalities, including Columbus, maintain their own local ordinances governing public drinking, per Big Man Law.
Beyond beer and bratwurst, Munson and Brothers has become a fixture of downtown Columbus's cultural calendar. The venue hosted the kickoff poetry slam for the 25th annual Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Tribute earlier this month, a literary event Hoodline previously reported featured poetry readings alongside live blues and jazz. Munson has said he hopes the community continues to come together to support the festivities as Oktoberfest enters its seventh year.
