For four days each September, downtown New Glarus becomes a little louder, a little busier and considerably more festive. The big tent goes up on First Street, New Glarus beer starts flowing, music fills downtown and visitors arrive ready for one of the village’s signature weekends.

New Glarus Oktoberfest returns Thursday, Sept. 24, through Sunday, Sept. 27, with free admission to the festival tent and a mix of familiar traditions and several new reasons to stop by. This year’s festival adds a new Saturday band, new food choices and a few activities that are distinctly less traditional than polka and pretzels.

Annie O’Connor, executive director of the New Glarus Chamber of Commerce, said one of the additions she is most excited about is ShinyRibs, an Austin, Texas, band that will take over the Saturday afternoon music slot. “They’re like funky, bluesy,” O’Connor said, describing a group she expects will give the festival a different sound for a few hours.

Oktoberfest, though, is bigger than what happens beneath the tent. The festival sits in the middle of downtown, with restaurants, taverns, shops and other businesses only steps away. That means the best way to do Oktoberfest may be to treat the whole village as part of the experience.