Sure, it’s contracted from a customary week-long celebration into a weekend-only event. But no COVID-19 pandemic can diminish the buzzy intensity that Oktoberfest 2020 is packing into its busy two-day schedule.

Though Burgermeister Steve Sides already had been making the rounds throughout the city beginning Thursday morning, Oktoberfest officially kicked off with Friday night’s 6 p.m. opening ceremonies. The quick start ushers in today’s full slate of festivities, which concentrate more on the action (at least this year) away from the First Avenue area near the Festhalle and toward Depot Park, where pedestrians aren’t as confined by the under-construction street work to upgrade the First Avenue Entertainment District for next year.

Even though there’s less time for Oktoberfest to unfold, there’s still a ton of stuff to see and do Saturday. Finding the center of the action isn’t hard — just look for the Hay People standing guard in traditional German dress outside the main Biergarten gate along Arnold Street in front of Depot Park. Music begins at 10 a.m. Saturday with the Wallace State Singers, and continues all the way past 10 p.m., when Blind the Sky takes the stage.

Along the way, there’ll be highlights like the Sidewalk Chalk Contest (9 a.m.), the annual Weiner Dog race and pet parade (11 a.m.), the Brat Eating contest (noon), a cruise-in event for German cars (1 p.m.) and the evening Stein Hoisting and Best Costume contest, which kicks off at 9:30 p.m. Throughout the day, there’ll also be carriage rides around historic downtown Cullman, as well as kids’ activities, the morning Farmers Market, and more food and vendors than even the most gregarious reveler can sample in a single day.

If you need to walk off the calories midway through the festivities, head on over to the middle of town, where the Cullman County Fair Parade kicks off along its customary route down U.S. Highway 31. The parade begins at 2 p.m., leaving you plenty of time to get back in action — and into some traditional German food treats — until the sun sets on Oktoberfest 2020 late tonight.