This weekend, lederhosen is the attire and the chicken dance will flap to oom-pah-pah bands at the Covington and Mandeville trailheads as Oktoberfest mania takes hold.

Both events will offer family fun, kids’ activities and the traditional oom-pah-pah bands, food and drink. They also both benefit local charities.

The Mandeville Oktoberfest will be from 4-9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Friday night admission is free, Saturday is $5 and children under 12 are free. Bands include Miss Claudia and Her Biergartners and A-Polka-lypse N. O. on Friday, with Mel Rogers’ Wienerschnitzel Orchestra and Benny Grunch & the Bunch on Saturday. There will also be karaoke for charity featuring Cat’s Meow Karaoke.

For the younger set, there will be a kids’ yodeling contest, a pretzel toss contest and an egg drop hosted by Beth of Rockin’ Karaoke.

Contests for older folks will include a beer stein race with preliminary and semifinal rounds on Friday night and the top 10 finalists on Saturday night, as well as a yodeling contest.

No pets or outside food or drink are allowed and lawn chairs and blankets are encouraged.

Charities benefiting from Mandeville’s event are Scott’s Wish, Samaritan Center, the St. Tammany Spay and Neuter Group and Have a Heart Thru Art.

The Covington Oktoberfest will take place Saturday only from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m.

The Oktoberfest Race and kids activities will benefit KidSense playgrounds for special needs kids and begins at 9 a.m. The event will be alcohol-free from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. with free admission and lots of kids’ activities.

Children can participate in crafts, a petting zoo, have their photos taken with two trained Clydesdale horses, play ZumbAtomic for kids, and more. Food offerings include sliders, hot dogs, fries, and chicken tenders to keep the youngsters well fueled. Frozen custard, blended iced coffee drinks and soft drinks will also be on hand. Hot gourmet coffee and cocoa will also be served to fend off the morning chill.

At 2 p.m., Heiner Brau kicks off a more traditional Oktoberfest with their locally brewed Festbier, as well as bratwurst, schnitzel, and other “calorie-free” fare from Beck-N-Call Café. The Splash Shack, Viking photo hut (complete with helmets), vintage Volkswagens, and Wii Skii the Alps booth (sponsored by Best Buy of Covington) will be there all evening long. Between sets of authentic oom-pah-pah bands, festgoers can work off their beer with Zumba in the Streets.