Cullman’s 36th Annual Oktoberfest officially kicks off tonight at 6 p.m. at Festhalle Market Platz with the ceremonial tapping of the keg.

Miss Oktoberfest 2017 will also be selected by chance this evening when one of the local high school pageant winners bites into the cupcake with pudding. 

Cullman’s Goat Island Brewery Co-founder John Dean will serve up the company’s signature brew and official beer of Cullman’s Oktoberfest, Richter’s Pils, which captured the bronze medal at last year’s Alabama Craft Beer Championship.

Organizers plan to unveil a commemorative plastic beer stein for the festival, plus they’ve booked rising country music star Riley Green, who performed at Rock the South, as headliner Friday.

As always, admission is free to the weeklong event, with children’s activities and games, German music and food and a beirgarten fully stocked with a wide variety of different brands and styles.

Here’s a rundown of today’s schedule:

• 5-10 p.m. — Carriage rides at Festhalle

• 5-7 p.m. — Sacred Heart German Dinner at the church

• 5-10 p.m. — Alabama Craft Bier Garten

• 6-7 p.m. — Opening Ceremonies; Burgermeister introduction; Miss Oktoberfest crowning; tapping of the kegs; Hanceville High School German Band.

• 6-10 p.m. — Children’s activities, parking lot

• 7 p.m. — Paper Airplane Contest

• 7-10 p.m. — Terry Cavanagh & Alpine Express, German music

• 8:30 p.m. — Stein Hoist Contest

Here’s the rest of the week’s schedule:

Today

• 7 a.m.-5 p.m. — Farmer’s market

• 10 a.m.-2 p.m. — Senior Day

• 10-11:30 a.m. — Terry Cavanagh & Alpine Express, German music

• 10:30 a.m.- until — Freddie Day Catering, German food

• 11:30 a.m.-noon — Senior Day lunch

• Noon-2 p.m. — Senior Day bingo

• 5:30-6:30 p.m. —Forgotten Alabama, presentation and discussion with author Glen Wills at the Cullman Public Library

• 5-10 p.m. — Alabama Craft Bier Garten

• 5-10 p.m. — Carriage rides at Festhalle

• 5:50-6:15 p.m. — Cullman Community Band with Gary Taylor

• 6-10 p.m. — Children’s activities, parking lot

• 6:30 p.m. — Pickle Eating Contest

• 7 p.m. — Paper Airplane Contest

• 8 p.m. — Candlelight Walking Tour from Weis Cottage corner of 4th ST SE and 1st Ave. SE

• 6:30-10 p.m. — Terry Cavanagh & Alpine Express, German music

• 8:30 p.m. — Stein Hoist Contest

Friday

• 9 a.m.-2 p.m. — School tours

• 10:30 a.m.- until — Freddie Day Catering, German food

• 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. — Wolfgang Moritz, German music

• 3-6 pm — Terry Cavanagh & Alpine Express

• 3:30 p.m. -midnight — Alabama Craft Bier Garten

• 4 p.m. — Avenue G band.

• 4-10 p.m. — Children’s activities, parking lot

• 5-7 p.m. — Christ Lutheran Church German Dinner at the church

• 5 p.m.- until — Cullman Oktoberfest Classic Car Show, First Avenue Warehouse District downtown

• 6 p.m.— Ghost stories at the gazebo hosted by Cullman County Library

• 6:15-8 p.m. — The Beatlads (Beatle cover band)

• 6:30 p.m. — Pickle Eating Contest

• 7 p.m. — Paper Airplane Contest

• 8:15-10 p.m. — Overtones band

• 8:30 p.m. — Stein Hoist Contest

• 10:15 p.m.-midnight — Riley Green

Saturday

• 7 a.m.-5 p.m. — Farmer’s market

• 8 a.m. — Oktoberfest 5K and 10K run (registration starts at 7 a.m.)

• 8 a.m.-5 p.m. — Arts & Crafts at Depot Park

• 8 a.m.-10 p.m. — Children’s activities, parking lot

• 9 a.m.-5 pm — Oktoberfest Junior Sidewalk Art Show in front of City Hall, prizes awarded

• 9 a.m.-1 p.m. — K-9 For A Cause, Cullman Kiwanis Club at Depot Park (registration at 8 a.m.)

• Carriage rides all day

• 9:30-10:30 a.m. — Cullman Middle and Cullman High School Choruses (tentative)

• 10 a.m.-midnight — Alabama Craft Bier Garten

• 10:30 a.m.- until — Freddie Day Catering, German food

• 10:45 a.m.-noon — WSCC Singers, WSCC Jazz Band (tentative)

• Noon — Lions Club Bed Race, Depot

• 12:30 p.m. — Bratwurst Eating Contest

• 1-2:45 p.m. — Ashley Rose Kent, singer

• 3-6 pm — Terry Cavanagh & Alpine Express, German music

• 3 p.m. — Paper Airplane Contest Finals

• 4-7 p.m. — St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Oktoberfest Dinner

• 4-7 p.m. — Corn Hole Tournament at Goat Island Brewery sponsored by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Register online or on-site.

• 6:15-7:55 p.m. — County Wyde band

• 8:15-9:45 p.m. — Round 2 band

• 9:45 p.m. — Stein Hoist Contest

• 10 p.m.-midnight — Fly By Radio, band

Sunday

• 8 a.m.-5 p.m. — Arts & Crafts at Depot Park

• 8 a.m.-5 p.m. — Children’s activities, parking lot

• 9-11:45 a.m. — Wolfgang Moritz, German music

• 10:30 a.m.- until — Freddie Day Catering, German food

• Noon-1:30 p.m. — Bluewater Road, band

• 1:35-2:15 p.m. — Cottin’ Pickin’ Kids, band

• 2:25-3:25 p.m. — Roy Crawford and Cullman County Bluegrass, band

• 3:35-5 p.m. — Three On A String, band