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Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati Alpenhorns

The nation’s largest collection of alpenhorns

Leave it to Zinzinnati to outdo even The Walt Disney Co. when it comes to celebrating “Gemütlichkeit.” Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati annually showcases five specially commissioned alpenhorns at stages along Fifth Street in Downtown Zinzinnati, outnumbering the Disney collection of three alphenhorns in their vast entertainment arsenal.

Early in 2006, the Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati steering committee placed the order for the five alpenhorns with master craftsmen in Buchenberg, Germany. Months in the making, the alpenhorns arrived via special packing and transit in Zinzinnati in mid-August, just in time for members of the Pete Wagner Schnapps Band to practice playing the world’s longest horns, to complement Zinzinnati’s World’s Largest Chicken Dance.

According to Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati officials, the alpenhorns aren’t easy to master. Each horn plays a different note, and the horn’s sounds are controlled solely by the player's breathing and lip movements. Most amazing is the reach of the nine-foot alpenhorns: When played with gusto, they can be heard for approximately two miles.

“We’re excited and pleased to showcase the nation’s largest collection of alpenhorns, putting a nine-foot exclamation point on the German authenticity of Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati,” said Pat Sheeran, vice president of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. “We know Zinzinnatians will enjoy being home to this important cultural collection and hearing the horns annually at Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati.”