Oktoberfest

A Harvest Festival -- Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

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Oktoberfest, puzzle by Fred Piscop, edited by Will Shortz

If you subscribe to The New York Times on-line Premium Crosswords, you are probably familiar with the monthly puzzle -- chock-full of interrelated entries with a title to match. For October, the title of the puzzle is Oktoberfest, and there are plenty of…well… festivities!

The PARADE (35A. Thanksgiving festivities event) includes

40D. Harvest HOME (end-of-farming-season festival);

SAPPORO (13D. Japanese site of the Snow Festival);

27D. Renaissance FARE (old fashioned festival);

29D. Aston MAGNA Festival (music event in the Berkshires);

14A. Memphis’s BEALE Street Musical Festival);

37A. MAI Queen (spring festival figure);

15A. Jai ALAI (literally, “merry festival’);

1A. Rock in RIO (largest rock festival in the world);

4A. Mardi GRAS (pre-Easter festival);

8A. New York Shakespeare Festival founder Joseph PAPP;

GALA (16A. Festive occasion);

NEWPORT (21A. Rhode Island site of an annual jazz festival);

KOOL (25A. Cigarette brand and former jazz festival sponsor);

44A. TASTE of Chicago (world’s largest food festival);

47A. The Santa Fe Spring ARTS Festival;

REDFORD (51A. Sundance Film Festival founder Robert);

CAMERA d’Or (Cannes Film Festival award);

LEEDS (59A. Music festival city in England);

EBERT (64A. Roger who founded the Overlooked Film Festival);

TUBA (65A. Oktoberfest brass);

TET (68A. Vietnamese festival time);

36D. DES Moines, home of the Festival Park event center;

ROME (51D. Site of a gay pride festival denounced by the Pope);

and for good measure 1D. Chew the RAG (have a gabfest) and RIOT (34D. Laughfest).

Participants include ABBE (57D. Lane who sang with Cugat); ALAN (6D. “The Aviator” actor Alda); AMIS (12A. “Lucky Jim” author Kingsley); CDRS (55D. U.S.N. officers); DEBS (54D. Rookie socialites); ENID (66A. Geraint’s lady); 4D. Bee GEES, leading early act for Festival Records; GRAMM (30A. Texas politico Phil); LIV (50A. Ullmann or Tyler); MARIS (32D. Homer king between Ruth and McGwire); a PAUPER (8D. Penniless one); 24A. Actress RAE Dawn Chong; RIDGE (39A. Former homeland security chief Tom); SEGER (7D. “Like a Rock” rocker Bob); and UMA (48A. Thurman of “Kill Bill”).

The remainders: Across: 17. Affix a new price to; 18. Go UPIN smoke; 19. Nicosia’s island; 23. Classroom favorite; 27. Kin: Abbr.; 34. Keister; 38. Not INSO many words; 40. One with road rage might lean on it; 41. Santana’s “OYE Como Va”; 46. Noteworthy time; 58. “In memoriam” item; 61. Weeps audibly; 63. “Ugly Betty” magazine; 67. Nine-digit Ids.

Down: 2. Apple computer; 3. Like a service station floor; 5. Lab maze solver; 9. Brand for Fido; 10. Texas Hold ‘em holding; 11. Pub glass capacity, perhaps; 14. Drier than sec; 20. Member of a 27-Across: Abbr.; 22. Carry on as war; 25. Obama’s paternal homeland; 26. Desert caravan stops; 28. Intense passion; 31. Gradual accounting writeoff: Abbr.; 33. Mimicking avian; 35. PRE-K (school for tots); 42. Blood: Prefix; 45. Like some titmice; 47. Align the cross hairs; 49. French city where Van Gogh painted; 50. Hang in there; 52. Black, to bards; 53. “Where DIDI go wrong?”; 56. Beat the pants off; 60. Bard’s nightfall; 62. Was in session.

While the abundance of clues and entries related to the puzzle’s title may make the solving a bit easier than some would want, the unveiling of the crossword is a pleasant trip, perhaps one could say akin to strolling through a festival, whatever time of year.

Take it slow and enjoy the fair, rushing is no fun! Fred Piscop‘s tour is a kaleidoscope of light and joy!

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Puzzle available on the internet at

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