Finals February 29, 2020 - Starting at 7:30PM

The renowned (and sometimes notorious) Little Kings Bockfest Sausage Queen helps lead the Bockfest Parade by carrying a symbolic tray of  Bockwurst. The Sausage Queen is Bockfest royalty who is anointed in the least aristocratic manner we could create: a gender-neutral pageant that has multiple preliminary rounds in local bars. Winning contestants receive prizes, but are mostly vying for the honor and prestige of being the 2020 Sausage Queen, an honor to both themselves and their sponsoring saloon. While Sausage Queen IS gender neutral, we wanted more beards, ‘staches, chops and goats... goatees that is! We are honored to welcome back the Beard Baron to our royal court this year, in partnership with the Cincinnati Beard Barons.

How Sausage Queen works

TIn the weeks leading up to Bockfest, each participating venue will select its Queen contestant for the 2020 finale. At each venue, a competition will be held and the  person crowned Sausage Queen of each venue will have the opportunity to represent that venue in the Bockfest Parade on February 28th and at the Finals on February 29th. ​​
  • Wiedemann Brewery - 4811 Vine St, St. Bernard - Friday January 31 9PM
  • Arnold's Bar & Grill - 210 East 8th St, Cincinnati - Saturday February 1 9PM
  • ​Mecklenburg Garden - 302 E. University Ave, Cincinnati- Friday February 7 9PM
  • Crazy Fox Saloon - 901 Washington Ave, Newport - Saturday February 8 9PM
  • Lucius Q - 1131 Broadway, Cincinnati - Friday February 14 9PM​
  • The Hub - 1209 Main St - Saturday February 15 9PM
  • ​Sonder Brewery - 8584 Duke Blvd, Mason - Saturday February 22 9PM
​The person crowned Bockfest Sausage Queen 2020 will receive the honor and privilege of reigning as Sausage Queen until the next year when he or she will lead the Bockfest Parade. The finals will be 9:00PM at Bockfest Hall on Saturday February 29, 2020.

Note: It is not necessary to register prior to the night of the competition (except that the Final Judging will only be open to winning candidates from the preliminary rounds.) However, it is very helpful for the venue to know how many contestants to expect and any special requests they might have, so advance registration at the venue where you intend to compete is highly appreciated. Contestants must register at the venue no later than the start of the competition, and may pre-register online HERE.

How Beard Baron works

 In conjunction with the crowning of the 2020 Bockfest Sausage Queen at Bockfest Hall, we invite all facial hair enthusiasts to compete to be the third annual Bockfest Beard Baron! 

At the finals there will be five categories that can be entered. Winners from each category will be named after the scores are totaled. Finally, the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the one and only 2020 Bockfest Beard Baron will be chosen from the category winners. The Baron will reign side by side with the Sausage Queen until 2021, where they will lead the Bockfest parade. ​ The finals will be 7:30PM at Bockfest Hall on Saturday February 29, 2020.

Note: Registration will be from 5P-7P in Bockfest Hall, next to the stage. Competitors must be registered to become the Bockfest Beard Baron!

Sausage Queen Judging

At each of the preliminary venues and the finale, the Little King, guest judges, and crowd participation will determine the best (gender neutral) applicant based on the following criteria:
  • Personality
All contestants are required to have one, and having a good one is typically helpful. The sum total of a contestant’s personality is arbitrarily judged by his or her responses to a series of ridiculous questions.
  • Presence
The contestant must look good carrying a sausage and have diva tendencies. The winners of each preliminary round will represent that bar in the Sausage Queen finals. Therefore, you must possess the presence to fulfill this heady responsibility with honor, dignity, class, grace, or the complete and utter lack of any of these traits.
  • Talent
What kind of “talent” should the Sausage Queen 2019 display? That is a question that only you can answer. Surprise us. (But be warned that after a decade of conducting this competition, it is getting progressively harder to surprise us.)

Beard Baron Judging

Your judges for the evening will include local facial hair aficionados, and members of the Cincinnati Beard Barons, Beard and Mustache Club. The judges will determine the winners based on a number of criteria. Gentlemen AND ladies will be able to compete in these 5 categories:
  • Full Beard Under 5”
Competitors should have a full beard with a length less than 5” in length. Competitors may style their mustache, but it will not count in the overall judging.
  • Full Beard 5”-10"
Competitors should have a full beard with a length greater than 5” and less than 10" in length. Competitors may style their mustache, but it will not count in the overall judging.
  • Full Beard 10” and Up
Competitors should have a full beard with a length of, or greater than 10” in length. Competitors may style their mustache, but it will not count in the overall judging.
  • Mustache (Styled and Natural)
Competitors may wear their mustache styled or natural. Mustache hair should start no further than 1” from the corner of the mouth. Competitors may have sideburns, but they will not be considered for judging. Goatees, soul patches and mutton chops are not allowed.
  • Partial Beard (Chops, Goatee, Whaler, etc.)
Competitors may have any style or length of partial beard that does not qualify for other 3 categories. Styles can include Whaler, Mutton Chops, Goatee, etc.
  • Ladies Fake Creative Beard 
Competitors will craft their own beard from anything they want to create the best fake beard. Create a lifelike realistic beard, or go all out with sausages, goat horns, beer steins, whatever!
  • Freestyle
Full Beard, Partial Beard or Mustache - A beard or mustache styled with any product. This category includes the free design and creative styling of the facial hair in any form.

Beards are measured from the bottom of your lip to the bottom of your beard. Competitors are not required to straighten their beard for measurement.

Requirements

  • There is no admission fee.
  • Contestants must be at least 21 years of age.​
  • Contestants must be open-minded and fun. The competitions are gender neutral. They are open to all shapes, sizes, and varieties of potential Bockfest royalty.
  • Contestants agree that their photos, videos, and/or likenesses may be used in promoting the event.
  • Manner of dress is up to each contestant.
  • Although possessing mysterious and frightening political power, the Royal International Bockfest Sausage Queen Commission cannot suspend the laws of the municipalities or states where competitions are held. Therefore, while contestants are free to push the boundaries of human decency, they must do so within the boundaries of all governing law.
  • Sausage Queen Contestants must be available to compete in the February 29th Final Judging and available for the Bockfest Parade on February 28, 2020. The Queen must not be too much of a diva to show up to these events on time and must be capable and willing to traverse the full parade route.​
  • The Sausage Queen and Beard Baron will reign until the following year’s Bockfest Sausage Queen and Beard Baron Competition, will be in the Bockfest 2021 parade, and will crown the 2021 Queen and Baron. It is virtually impossible to commit any act unbecoming of a Sausage Queen or Beard Baron that is sufficient to cause the Royal International Bockfest Sausage Queen Commission to revoke the title, but each venue has its own standards for what might cause you to be disowned.