Oktoberfest & Gingerbread Village at AUHCC Named as Southeast Tourism Society Top 20 Events

AU Oktoberfest, the annual brew festival formerly held at The Hotel (moving to Ag Heritage Park this year) and sponsored by The Hotel, APR, and AlaBev, was named one of the STS Top 20 Events in the Southeast for October 2018. The event is one of the largest Oktoberfests in the state, drawing nearly 2,000 attendees who can partake in more than 150 beers.

The Auburn Gingerbread Village was named one of the STS Top 20 Events in the Southeast for December 2018. The annual kick off to the holiday season features prominent Auburn University buildings crafted out of gingerbread, candy and icing. More than 2,000 people visited The Hotel at Auburn University in 2017 to enjoy the magical display.

The STS Top 20 Festival and Event Awards have highlighted exceptional programs around the Southeast since 1985. Travel industry experts select 20 events per month, and STS publicizes them throughout the United States.

“AU Oktoberfest and the Auburn Gingerbread Village are two favorite seasonal events at The Hotel,” said Hans van der Reijden, managing director of The Hotel at Auburn University. “A great deal of time and effort go in to ensuring these events are fun, unique and memorable, and we’re grateful that the Southeast Tourism Society has honored us with these awards.”

“The Southeast is home to unique and memorable events throughout the year. In spotlighting the Top 20 festivals and events each month, STS is not only giving these events the recognition they deserve but we’re also creating a quick reference guide to some of the best festivals in the Southeast,” said Bill Hardman, president, and CEO of the Southeast Tourism Society. “These events are important to the economic vitality of our communities, and this is a way for us to acknowledge the time and resources organizers have tirelessly spent to create memories for their attendees.”

Events considered for the STS Top 20 recognition must be at least three years old and have an attendance of at least 1,000.

This year’s AU Oktoberfest will be held October 6, 2018. Because of the growing number of attendees, the location has been moved to Auburn University’s Ag Heritage Park. The event is still sponsored and organized by The Hotel at Auburn University.

The 2018 Auburn Gingerbread Village will be on display from mid-December (typically it opens the Saturday of the Auburn Christmas Parade) through the New Year, in the Dixon Conference Center atrium within The Hotel.

STS, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting tourism to and within 12 states – Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

For more information, contact Todd Scholl, director of sales and marketing at The Hotel at Auburn University: todd.scholl@auhcc.com.

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