Turtle Bay Exploration Park is throwing open the gates of Paul Bunyan's Forest Camp this Saturday, October 10, for its annual Oktoberfest, a family-friendly evening featuring beer and food running from 5 to 8 p.m. The celebration brings together food vendors and live music for what has become one of Redding's most reliable fall traditions.
The festival includes seasonal beer and beer vendors. Admission includes a first beer or root beer, and non-drinkers can order Etna Brewing's Old Fashioned Root Beer, upgradable to a float for an extra two dollars, according to Turtle Bay Exploration Park. Etna Brewing itself traces its roots back to 1868, when Alsatian brewer Charles Kappler founded the operation in Scott Valley, making it one of the oldest operating craft brewery heritage brands on the West Coast, per Enjoy Magazine; the brand was revived as a microbrewery in 1990.
A Lineup of Craft Beer Pioneers
Eel River Brewing, founded in Fortuna in 1994, holds a notable distinction in American craft beer history: it became the first USDA-certified organic brewery in the country in 1999, according to a background entry sourced from the brewery's own account. The company has since shifted production to a historic redwood mill site in Scotia, continuing to brew organic beers out of Humboldt County.
Food vendors will be part of the event. Mosaic Restaurant is the sit-down restaurant inside the Sheraton Redding Hotel on the Turtle Bay campus and offers museum members a 10% discount, according to the hotel.
Music and Craft Vendors
Live music comes courtesy of Hook, which is scheduled to perform at the event, as noted on Hook's website.
A craft vendor area will host artisan booths. The park has live animal exhibits.
Oktoberfest Attire and a Holiday Tie-In
Turtle Bay encourages guests to wear Oktoberfest attire. The annual Garden of Lights at Turtle Bay's McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens features more than two million lights spread across 10 acres, according to Visit Redding.
Oktoberfest is presented by Liquor Barn and Sasqwash Car Wash, with proceeds supporting Turtle Bay's educational programs and exhibitions, Action News Now reports. Presale and member tickets run $20 for adults and $15 for children, while non-member door tickets cost $25 for adults and $20 for children; kids 2 and under get in free.
Why Turtle Bay Matters Beyond the Beer Garden
The festival grounds sit within a 300-acre non-profit campus along the Sacramento River. Efforts to merge Redding's museums began in the 1980s, and Paul Bunyan's Forest Camp opened in 1997, according to the McConnell Foundation, whose investment in Turtle Bay has grown to nearly $80 million.
The 300-acre campus features Wintu cultural exhibits and live animal attractions. Oktoberfest's turnout has historically been strong: the 2022 celebration at Paul Bunyan's Forest Camp drew nearly 1,200 people, per Turtle Bay's own account of that year's event, underscoring just how central the fundraiser has become to the park's community calendar as it bridges late-summer programming with the winter light display still months away.
