Before the gates could even open, people were lining up for the first day of German Days in downtown Bismarck and they kept streaming in throughout the night.

The event, which expanded to three days in 2016, kicked off at 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 14th, and the parking lot at the historic Depot was almost immediately full.

The excitement for authentic German food, beer, and music in downtown Bismarck brought people out in droves. Seeing Bismarck's mayor, Mike Seminary, tap the first keg of the evening probably didn't hurt either.

Check out our pictures from the first night of German Days below and join us there all this weekend. Gates open Friday and Saturday, July 15th and 16th, at 11 a.m.

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