CULLMAN, Ala. — Cullman Parks, Recreation & Sports Tourism (CPRST) on Friday, Sept. 11, announced that 12-year-old Veronica “Ve” Harding has been selected as the first-ever Kinderbürgermeister for Cullman Oktoberfest. This new youth ambassador role is inspired by a longstanding German tradition. Harding will represent the children of Cullman throughout the 2026 festival, taking place Oct. 1-4, at Depot Park.
The Kinderbürgermeister, German for “children’s mayor,” gives a young member of the community a symbolic seat alongside the festival’s adult Bürgermeister, mirroring a custom found in towns across Germany. Harding was chosen from a pool of applicants after a written questionnaire, audition video, and in-person callbacks with a review committee from the Oktoberfest planning team.
“We wanted to bring the Kinderbürgermeister tradition to Cullman because it captures something we believe deeply: that Oktoberfest belongs to every generation in this community, including our youngest citizens,” said CPRST Executive Director Nathan Anderson. “This role has real history and meaning behind it in Germany, and we’re proud to give Cullman’s kids a genuine seat at the table, not just a title. Veronica represents her peers with the same pride and heritage our festival was built on.”
“Oktoberfest has always been a family event, but this makes that official,” added CPRST Festivals & Special Events Director Daniel Wyatt. “The Kinderbürgermeister is proof that this festival is just as much for the kids as it is for the adults. Veronica is going to be a fantastic face for that all season long.”
Harding will join Edgar Veigl, this year’s Bürgermeister, as a festival ambassador throughout the fall.
Said Veigl, “Representing the German tradition of the Bürgermeister has always meant a great deal to me. Knowing that our youngest citizens now have a chance to represent their peers in that same tradition makes it mean even more. Veronica carries the spirit of this festival exactly the way it should be carried.”
Harding, who lives in Cullman’s Historic District and completed confirmation at St. John’s, has grown up not just attending Oktoberfest, but taking part in it, riding the carousel every year, walking in the opening parade, teaching the crowd The Chicken Dance and polka, showing up in dirndls with her family and performing with her ballet group, Ballet South, on the Oktoberfest stage. She is also currently a member of Heirlooms’ Junior Singers, where she is learning a song in German to perform. As she has grown older, her appreciation for the festival’s German roots has deepened alongside her enthusiasm for the celebration itself.
“I’m so excited and honored to be Cullman’s very first Kinderbürgermeister!” she said. “I can’t wait to represent the children of our community, meet even more kids and help make Oktoberfest a celebration they feel a part of. I love performing, but even when I’m not on stage, my favorite place to be is always near it. I love that a stage brings people together.”
“We’re incredibly proud of Veronica,” said her parents, Will and Lauren Harding. “She truly loves this town and its traditions and has grown up surrounded by the people, places and celebrations that make Cullman special. Seeing that genuine love recognized in this way means so much to us.”
As Kinderbürgermeister, Harding will appear in character videos throughout the fall, take the stage at Opening Ceremonies on Thursday, Oct. 1 and help lead kid-friendly Oktoberfest contests throughout the weekend, along with additional appearances throughout the festival.
Oktoberfest 2026 runs Oct. 1-4, at Depot Park in downtown Cullman. This year’s festival adds a fourth day for the first time, expanded entertainment headlined by Manuela Horn and The Bräts and festival favorites in the Kinderbereich kids’ zone, including a 110-foot Ferris wheel and a double-decker carousel. Admission is free. More information is available at www.cullmanoktoberfestival.com.
