CINCINNATI — Grab your lederhosen and beer mugs because Oktoberfest Zinzinnati is heading back to the Queen City in September. The official dates for the festival were announced Thursday.

Presented by Samuel Adams, the weekend-long festival is the nation's largest Oktoberfest celebration.

In 2021, more than 700,000 people celebrated the German heritage that sweeps throughout Cincinnati and Southwest Ohio as they enjoyed German-style food, entertainment and beer.

"We are excited to announce the return of Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, one of our region's most loved traditions," said Spencer Mapes, lead event manager for Oktoberfest Zinzinnati. "We're proud to help Cincinnati celebrate its German roots and provide a memorable experience people return for year after year."

Cincinnati is set to transform into a Bavarian village again from Sept. 16 to Sept. 18.

Here are the hours for each day of Oktoberfest Zinzinnati 2022:

• Friday, Sept. 16 — 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Saturday, Sept. 17 — 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Sunday, Sep. 18 — 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, which is held on Second and Third streets in downtown Cincinnati, was first held in 1976. Attendees can divulge in all things German heritage, including food. Some of the authentic food offerings include Limburger cheese, sauerkraut balls, bratwursts, pickled pigs feet and cream puffs.

A first this year, the Running of Wieners — a fan-favorite event — will take place within the main festival. The event features 100 dachshunds wearing costumes and running heats to determine the fastest wiener dog of Zinzinnati. Usually the event took place the day before Oktoberfest began, but now it will be held Sept. 16 at noon.

Registration for the popular event is already open. If you're interested in signing up for the Running of Wieners, click here.

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CINCINNATI — Two thousand runners will hit the streets of Cincinnati on Saturday morning for the Hudepohl 14K Brewery Run, an Oktoberfest race that organizers see as a dress rehearsal for the city’s other famous races.

“We’re going to see how it all works,” said John Cappella, whose organization PigWorks puts together the Hudepohl every fall and the Flying Pig every spring. “How we can still effectively get people through a course and make sure there’s a level of social distancing.”

It’ll be among the first large-scale, in-person races held in Cincinnati since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced PigWorks to modify or cancel its largest events in 2020.

The novel coronavirus is still a threat — a serious one. But Cappella said PigWorks hopes the Hudepohl will be an opportunity to hold an in-person race that protects its runners and accommodates social distancing concerns.

Runners will have 30 minutes to start, rather than the usual 10, to ensure they can space themselves out and not run closer to other participants than they’re comfortable doing. Participation was capped at 2,000 runners.

“(The race) will bring a lot of joy,” he said. “Bring a lot of relief, probably, as well, but I think just fun. That's what we've been known for at all of our events."

Frank DeJulius, whose business Fleet Feet Cincinnati caters to many of the runners who will hit the street on Saturday, said he’s excited to see the fall running season resume.

“We're lucky and feel honored that people want to come into our stores, get some advice, get some new gear, and get moving,” he said. “I firmly believe that the worst is behind us. The best is yet to come."