Come celebrate with us at our club events. We have the following events:
Please consult our website often for current postings of updates and dates of events.
General Membership Meetings
We have only four general membership meeting per year, generally on a Monday or Tuesday evening. Please consult our bimonthly Zeitung (newsletter) OR this wesbite on the MEETINGS page to be sure of date and locations of each meeting. We have been meeting at Max's Allegheny Tavern (Northside). Now we may be meeting at either Max's Allegheny Tavern or the Hofbräuhaus (Southside).
For directions for Hofbräuhaus, please see their website:
www.hofbrauhauspittsburgh.com
For directions for Max's Allegheny Tavern, please see their website:
www.maxsalleghenytavern.com
Isartaler Weihnachtsfeier (December/January)
This is our annual Weihnachtsfeier (Christmas celebration) which we celebrate the Holy Nativity of Christ‘s birth, not during the Advent season, but during the 12 days of Christmas according to the Church‘s tradition. We enjoy delicious cuisine, Glühwein (spiced wine) and Lebkuchen (gingerbread) of the holidays and of course dancing and caroling with the most famous carol of all, “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht.“ This coming Weihnachtsfeier will be Saturday, January 6th, 2024 at the Teutonia Männerchor Ratskeller.
Stiftungsfest
A Stiftungsfest is an anniversary celebration of our founding as an official Trachten club in North America in Spring 1972. A German dinner is followed by a dance with a German band and formal dance performances by our dancers and guest clubs. We will celebrate our 52. Stiftungsfest on Saturday 20 April 2024 at Teutonia Männerchor Northside. Dinner buffet 5-7pm with Band and dance performances 7-11pm.
SOMMERFEST (Friday June 23, 2023) at Croatian Center at SchutzenPark off Babcock Blvd outside Millvale at 7pm.
Sommerfest or Mittsommerfest—also known as Sommersonnewende is an ancient festival of the longest day (daylight) of the year and celebrates traditions both old and new, and is around the Nativity of St. John the Baptist feast day of June 24th. In many regions in Bavaria and Austria, they call it Johannisfeuer, literally, St. John’s Fire. This gives the populace time to enjoy the local beer, some bratwurst, dancing and accompanying oompah music from the local band. At the end of June, nature is in full swing. Lush petunia nests hang from the balconies. Wildflowers compete to bloom in meadows. The sun stings your skin as it peaks at the solstice. People have been celebrating this special time for hunderds of years. Even today, the summer solstice is celebrated with a festival in many European regions. In Germany and Austria, the summer solstice is celebrated in some regions with the bonfire, which the church named after the apostle John the Baptist. After the solstice, the days become shorter in daylight. In the Gospel verse: John 3:30. “He must increase, but I must decrease.” It is John the Baptist talking about Jesus, saying his purpose in this world is to decrease. That’s what he must do, and Jesus must increase. Meaning, John the Baptists purpose in this world was to exalt Christ, not himself. Lighting a Johannisfeuer bonfire in honor of St. John the Baptist on or around the eve of June 24 is beautiful traditional event! Come celebrate Sommerfest with us!
Jubiläum und Trachten Wallfahrt (May)
Every 5 years, (1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, etc) we celebrate this special Mass in Thanksgiving of the founding of our Verein with a special religious pilgrimage (procession) from the Teutonia Männerchor up to the historic Saint Anthony Chapel in Troy Hill, not only because of its German roots, but more over it is a pilgrimage site for many Christians and boasts the most relics in the world outside of the Vatican City.
Vier Länder Gebietsfest (between Memorial and Labor Day, in even number years.)
This biennial Fest is a gathering of the following clubs from PIttsburgh to Ontario, Canada and from Toledo, Ohio to Altoona, PA. This is like a BezierksFest for the East Coast. We have Einzelpreisplattln competition, workshops and end the evening with a banquet and dancing. We hosted the initial Gebietsfest in November 2016 at 7 Springs. The next Gebietsfest will be hosted by Bavarian Sports Club Holzhacker Buam Toledo in Toledo, OH on June 28-29, 2024.
Gaufest (between Memorial and Labor Day, in odd number years.)
This biennial Fest is a gathering of all the Vereine (clubs) in North America for a 4 day weekend convention-like festival celebrating our traditions, most especially the Einzelpreisplattln and Gruppen Preisplattln, which are the single couple and group dance competitions. This competition is like the “Bavarian dance Olympics“ and the top 5 club place with the number one club receiving the hand-carved trophy from the Bavarian State President Minister. This festival is always in the Summer held sometime between Memorial Day and Labor Day and takes place in various cities, as Vereine take turns hosting this Fest. The 29.Gaufest 2023, hosted by STV Bavaria will be in Sandusky, OH at the Kalahari Resort on July 13th to July 16th.
The 30th Gaufest is July 3-6, 2025 in Newark, Delaware hosted jointly by United German Hungarians, Oakford, PA and Enzian Volkstanzgruppe, Newark, Delaware.
Kräuterweihe (August)
This festival is usually held in August (15th), which is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The location/date vary each year, due to securing the Church or location, priest, and German band. During this holy Mass, our Kinder bring herbs (Kräuter) forward to the altar to be blessed by the priest, and then these blessed herbs are taken home and used or put on display.
Pittsburgh Folk Festival (various)
This annual festival has over twenty nationalities that come together to celebrate “unity in diversity“ displaying their cultures with song & dance performances, delicious ethnic cuisine and cultural display booths. Our club is honored to represent the “Germans of Pittsburgh.“ Please contact us for discounted tickets! For more information on the Folkfestival itself, along with schedule, entertainment and dates and locations, please visit their website: http://pghfolkfest.org/
Oktoberfest
Our annual Oktoberfest is the first Saturday of October at Schützen park, Oct 7, 2023, gates, open at 4 PM. We serve a great German menu have great German imported beverages, a great German band and dance performances. Come experience the Munich Oktoberfest, right here in Pittsburgh with us.
Gedächtnis Messe (October/November) Sunday, Oct 29, 2023 at 11:00 am at Holy Spirit Church of Saint Matthew Parish in Millvale.
This annual church memorial service is held on a Saturday or Sunday close to Nov 2, All Souls Day and is in honor of all deceased members of our family and friends of the German-American community. Area German choruses participate along with local clergy. Usually following this Memorial Mass, we have a dinner-dance.
Bavarian Heimatfest (November)
This Fest is an evening celebration of the old Heimat (homeland) with folks songs, dances and skits performed by our members. Our Kindergruppe presents a Brüder Grimm Märchen (Fairytale), and is during the season of Fasching (Mardi Gras) usually held on a Saturday evening anytime between November up through Mardi Gras weekend, and we get some revelry in!