On Thursday, the Oom Papas could be heard all through the second floor of the Union.
The music came from the Union Programming Council’s Oktoberfest. The event was held in the Union Ballroom, where students chowed down on free bratwursts, brownies and root beer, held a pie-eating contest and snapped pictures in a photo booth.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Mary Neville, a junior in math and UPC director of arts and special events. “Great turnout, especially since it was inside this year. We are really happy about how it turned out.”
The music scene changed this year from previous Oktoberfests due to talent availability.
“We usually go with a band called Salzburger Echo, they play up at Snowbird. But they were unavailable so we got the man that put together Salzburger Echo, Lloyd Miller,” Neville said.
Lloyd Miller, the coordinator of The Oom Papas, the group that played at Oktoberfest, is not foreign to the U. While getting his Ph.D. in Middle Eastern studies at the U in 1995, Miller started a club called Noon Concerts that put on shows on Mondays.
“Now I play every once in a while at the Heritage Center, but it’s been a while since I’ve played here in the Union, so today was nice,” Miller said.
The event cost UPC $2,000, with the majority of the cost going toward food. Neville said over 500 students attended the festivities.
Some students that attended the event enjoyed the food and taking in the music and participating in the infamous “Chicken Dance.”
“I’m having a good time. My favorite part is the band, I love the free food. I love the chicken dance,” said Paige Heyn, a senior in elementary education.
Heyn also thought there was some room for improvement, especially with advertising the event.
“Other than the obvious thing that’s missing from a traditional Oktoberfest, I wish that I had a little more notice,” Heyn said. “The only reason I found out was because of Instagram, which is fine, but more advance notice would’ve been nice. Longer hours would’ve been nice too because the time they had  is when a lot of people are in class.”