Lower Castle Park grass left 'muddy mess' after Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest took place in Lower Castle Park last Friday and Saturday night which saw large crowds dress up in lederhosen and guzzle down steins of beer.

Running in Colchester since 2017, the popular event is run in conjunction with Colchester Council and Colchester Amphora Events.

Good times - punters at a previous Oktoberfest event The Gazette attended this year’s event and there was plenty of Bavarian music, bratwurst hotdogs, and beer.

But last year the the Castle Park grass after it was left “unrecognisable”. 

The organisers of the festival said they had introduced special measures to protect the grass following the 2023 event.

However, Castle Ward Councillor Mark Goacher says the ground is in an even worse state than the previous year.

He went to visit Lower Castle Park yesterday evening after he was made aware of the ground’s conditions by a resident’s group on Facebook.

Some residents described it as "worse than ever" after Oktoberfest.

Not good - the grounds yesterday after Oktoberfest (Image: Public)

Mr Goacher said: “'Crikey, what a darned mess again' was my reaction when I first saw it.

"They were taking the matting off, they have done stuff to try mitigate it, it is still a muddy mess. It does look appalling.

“Amphora has said it has plans in place that they are going to restore it, that they will sort it.

“My understanding is that they will start remedial work within a week.”

Not pleased - Councillor Mark Goacher (Image: Councillor Mark Goacher) For this years’ event, there was extra trackway and matting for attendees to make their way to the large tent, amendments were also made when it came to working practises and site plans.

Oktoberfest was even brought forward to the start of October to allow for planned comprehensive reparations to the grass and surrounding areas by Colchester Council Parks Team. 

But Mr Goacher is concerned it will get worse if there is rain before the remedial works begin, meaning the grass would get worse before it gets better.

He said “My worry is if there is another downpour, it could drag on like last year.

Muddy - the matting being removed yesterday (Image: Councillor Mark Goacher) “It does look worse than last year. Why are we holding such an event at this time of year in the lower park, there is always going to be rain in the autumn, is this really the right location?

“At the moment it is wrecking the park.

The grass after Oktoberfest in 2023 (Image: Public)

“Hopefully things will be put right but I’m a bit sceptical.”

A spokesman for Colchester Council said: “We understand concerns about the condition of Lower Castle Park following last weekend's Oktoberfest.

"It's important to clarify that the measures put in place were intended to facilitate faster grass recovery after the event, not to completely prevent any damage.

“The groundworks being carried out are part of a planned maintenance programme to ensure the park's resilience after a busy season of events, including the Oktoberfest.

“The Oktoberfest organisers used the largest trackpad ever seen in Castle Park. Combined with the pre-event ground conditions and the recent wet weather, this inevitably led to some wear and tear.

“A machine specifically designed to break up a hard layer under the ground, improve drainage and aid future grass growth is currently on-site.

"Weather permitting, we anticipate new grass to begin sprouting in the coming weeks.

“We are committed to ensuring Lower Castle Park remains a vibrant green space for everyone to enjoy.”

The Gazette has contacted the organisers of Oktoberfest for a comment.