Music will be part of Oktoberfest in Kansas City.

So you can’t make it to Munich this year to celebrate their annual Oktoberfest. You can head to the next best thing: Oktoberfest at Crown Center and Washington Square Park in Kansas City.

This weekend, more than 30,000 people are expected to attend the festival, now in its seventh year, and enjoy authentic German music, food and crafts.

“This is one of the premiere Oktoberfests in the country, and we are thrilled to have such a great partners in Crown Center and Washington Square Park,” said Bill Dietrich, president and CEO of the Downtown Kansas City Council.

Oktoberfest’s three stages will offer the best in German entertainment, says Gil Brenis, event coordinator, including Grammy-winning band Brave Combo, Pros’t! and cabaret band Alacartoona. There also will be pig racing, wood carving, carnival rides, fireworks and a wine garden. Of course, you couldn’t be an authentic Oktoberfest without beer, so there will be plenty of German brew on hand to aid in the celebration, including Warsteiner Pilsner, Warsteiner Dunkel, Warsteiner Oktoberfest and Konig Ludwig Weiss. Keg tapping events are scheduled for tonight and Saturday evening.

A major new attraction this year is Heritage Hall, where German culture and tradition will be on display. It will include booths from German groups and area high schools, displaying costumes and information about the origin of the festival in Munich, Germany, in the year 1810.

“I try to give my students hands-on opportunities to use their language skills and see how German is a part of their own world, right here in Kansas City, Missouri,” says Meredith Williams, a teacher at Park Hill South High School. “If students see German used, German history, German culture, they will learn more about my course and why a foreign language is so important today.”

There also will be plenty of activities for children, Brenis says. Ages 12 and under are admitted free, and the activities are at no extra charge.

“We have a puppet show, pumpkin decorating, Sandy Candy and face painting,” he says. “We have a dunk tank and inflatables, so we have a lot of activities for free.”

The festival will be open from 5 to 11 p.m. tonight; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sept. 27; and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 28. Parking is free. Adult admission is $5, and your wristband allows you to come back for the whole weekend. For more information, visit http://www.downtownkc.org.