Annual Festival Shatters Preliminary Expectations; Announces Return for 2027
The annual Oktoberfest event, previously sponsored by the local chamber of commerce, became the go-to festival in Woodland Park for years.
But once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, nearly all of the region’s public events came to a halt due to government regulations. Then, not surprisingly, funding issues arose and the festival, which once drew thousands of visitors, never returned to its former prominence. The former 110 Reserve business held their own version of the popular German-themed event, but it too only lasted a few years.
But this year, a new organization, “Oktoberfest Above the Clouds,” announced the return of the popular festival with a slightly different slant. Oktoberfest Above the Clouds organizers vowed to donate all of the proceeds to support local youth sports and activities in an effort to help out the local school district, which has experienced its share of financial woes in the last two years.
This concept of a revived Oktoberfest was met with both enthusiasm and skepticism by residents and area business operators. However, the skeptics have now been silenced based on a recent event-follow-up report unveiled by Keegan Barkley, the main event organizer and the president of the Woodland Park RE-2 School District Board of Education. Barkley appeared before the Woodland Park City Council at its regular meeting on Oct. 15.
The findings she released indicated that the Oktoberfest Above the Clouds festival, which occurred over a variety of days with the lion’s share of activities occurring on Saturday, Sept. 19 in Memorial Park, turned into a huge success, with plans now focused on a return event next September.
Barkley admitted that the event had help from Mother Nature, which blessed them with a perfect day of Sept. weather. After checking weather apps on their phones for the weeks leading up to the event, festival goers got to experience a “beautiful fall mountain day.”
“We couldn’t have been happier for that day,” Barkley told city council. “Thankfully, the sun was shining, and it was absolutely beautiful right until the end. When the skies did decide to open up, we only had about five minutes of beer service left anyway. And so, timing was perfect. The park cleared out real fast and we were able to clean up ahead of schedule. So, no complaints here from me.”
Although exact numbers were hard to determine, the organizers were happy with the event’s turnout. Based on the space and the tickets they did sell, the organizers estimate that more than 3,000 people attended the event.
Barkley said that she attempted to talk to many people who attended, including those who were dressed up in proper attire for the occasion. Moreover, Barkley said that the majority of the people she conversed with came to Woodland Park from other areas, specifically for the event.
“So many of the people who were there were coming up from Colorado Springs,” Barkley said. “Or even farther away, we had one woman who come in from Russia.”
Barkley said that she enjoyed talking to the variety of people who participated in the festival. Many people she talked to came to Woodland Park for the first time to attend the event. Many people also said that they were happy to have the chance to check out the businesses, the park and everything else the city has to offer.
Thousands of Dollars Given to Local Sports Programs
From a financial standpoint, the event organizer viewed the Oktoberfest Above the Clouds as a huge success.
Barkley went on to say that they received a lot of positive feedback from the vendors and food trucks who helped service the event.“They all had great sales days,” Barkley said. “So, people were coming out and they were supporting many of those vendors who were local also. So, we were able to help those folks out and get their names out there to a larger group of people.”
The vendors told the organizers that it was the most well-organized event that they had attended, especially since it was the group’s first year putting it on. Many of the breweries and vendors are already committed to returning to the Oktoberfest Above the Clouds next year.
Barkley also said that the event served its purpose of raising money for local sports and activities. “As a reminder we were looking to benefit the Woodland Wolves, Game Day Above the Clouds, Teller Takedown, the Woodland Park Mountain Bike Club and then the Woodland Park School District Athletics program,” Barkley said. “So, we’re happy that we’re going to be able to write them some nice checks.”
However, Barkley said that they were still waiting for some of the money to come in, so they did not yet have a total count of how much was raised. But they estimated that they will be able to provide about $10,000 to local youth sports organizations.
At the end of her presentation, Barkley took some time to thank the event sponsors who helped make Oktoberfest Above the Clouds 2026 happen. The main sponsors included High Country Realty, Trout Roofing, Base Camp, Teller Wifi, Apex Waste Solutions and the city of Woodland Park.
Barkley then presented the city with a certificate of appreciation to thank the city for their efforts in making the return of Oktoberfest happen. For years, many have yearned for this event to return, as it often defined the town’s festive side in September. In addition, the time of the event usually was blessed by ideal weather conditions.
Oktoberfest will return to Woodland Park ‘s Memorial Park in 2027 on Sept. 18.
