To make it as easy as possible for you to enjoy your visit to Cincinnati and compete with no distractions, we compiled all of the details and FAQs for the National Finalists.
If you have any other questions prior to the day of the National Championship Finals, please contact jbanko@ussteinholding.com for help. If you need help for something time-sensitive (like if you have a problem checking into the hotel that USSA booked), you can text Jim at 717-546-7455, but please only use this for urgent assistance, as he will be busy with on-site setup activities throughout Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
In the meantime, we'd also love to learn more about you! We created a survey form to get some basic information about you and your Steinholding journey. Our Emcees at the National Championship will use this information to announce you and get the crowd behind you. We will also share some of it in the National Championship Program Magazines that we are having printed for the event. We would really appreciate if you would take a few minutes to fill it out if you haven't already. We know you've worked hard to get here and we want everyone in attendance at the National Finals to know who you are!
National Finalists Survey Link
If you could also please email Jim a headshot that you like, we will be putting those into the program as well. We want to make sure you look good, so send us your favorite picture of yourself.
November 21st, 2026 at 4:00pm
Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt at Cincinnati Lager House, 115 Joe Nuxhall Wy, Cincinnati, OH 45202
IMPORTANT: All competitors are required to sign our Code of Conduct and Liability Waiver prior to participating in the National Championship Finals. If you already completed this prior to the State Finals or Wild Card competition you participated in (you should have), you don't have to do it again. But if not, please review the document as soon as possible, and sign electronically for agreement to it's terms online here. If you have any questions before signing, please contact USSA.
We require that you arrive on site and check in with so we know you have made it safely to Cincinnati and that you are ready and know where to go for the competition on Saturday. At check-in we will also give you your competition shirt that you will wear on Saturday and your USSA swag bag. We have two time options for this. Friday Night: If you are getting into town on Friday night and want to come check out the Christkindlmarkt (CKM), you can come to the USSA merch booth area (orange rectangle on the map below) near the West side of the CKM grounds between 5:00pm-9:00pm. Saturday Afternoon: The other option is to arrive and check in on Saturday between 12:00pm and 2:00pm in the Roebling Event Center, where we will have a lunch buffet set up for you (more info in schedule below).
The check-in area will be in the Roebling Event Center next to the main stage at the USSA merch booth, the orange area on the map below.
If you arrive in Cincinnati early enough, the CKM's grand opening is Friday, and the hours go from 5:00pm-9:00pm. This isn't mandatory but if you'd like to check it out, we will have the USSA merch booth open with a dedicated area for competitors to mix and mingle. The first drink for competitors is free, courtesy of Cincinnati Lager House. There will be a live band playing throughout the evening, and the food and craft vendors will all be open, along with multiple bar areas. As mentioned above, if you come to this, you can pick up your swag bag at the USSA merch booth (orange rectangle on the map above) which will let you try on your competition t-shirt to make sure it fits you and potentially swap it out for a better size if needed. There is more information about the vendors and a map of the full festival area available here: https://cincinnatichristkindlmarkt.com/food-drinks-gifts/
Limited free street parking is available nearby, and there are paid garages right under and next door to Moerlein. More parking info is available here: https://cincinnatichristkindlmarkt.com/about/
Christkindlmarkt is a free event. We will be marking some tables in the main fest tent near the stage as reserved for USSA National Finalists and their guests.
The National Finals is a single round, winner-takes-all Steinholding match with separate men's and women's divisions.
Official U.S. Steinholding Association Competitions Rules will be enforced at the National Finals. Make sure you review them before the match so that you're ready to compete correctly: USSA Official Rules. As mentioned above, we will have a rules overview session with all competitors at 3:15pm. If you have any questions in advance about the rules or judging, please let us know.
The winners at the National Championship will receive the $4,000 cash prize!
As a pre-qualified, confirmed finalist, there is no cost to you to participate in the National Finals competition.
You don't need to bring anything other than your photo ID and your will to become a champion. The competition steins will be provided to you by the venue, and will be yours to keep as a souvenir of the competition, win or lose.
In the event of rain or other inclement weather, the competition will still be held since we will be inside of a covered, heated fest tent. If there are any changes needed, we will update you upon check-in.
USSA National Steinholding Championship Finals
Our partners at BavariaTrachten.com provided an extra special discount code (STEINHOLDING) to get 10% off any purchase of lederhosen, dirndls, and other Festwear accessories. They have free 2-3 day shipping, so if you want to get decked out for the State Finals or other Oktoberfest events this season, check them out!
If you indicated to us that you want to stay at the hotel that USSA is covering, we have a room booked for you at the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Cincinnati Downtown at 106 West 7th Street, Cincinnati, OH, USA, 45202
https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/cvgtw-towneplace-suites-cincinnati-downtown/overview/
Check-in begins at 3pm and check out is at 12pm. You will be required to provide ID and a credit card for incidentals/security deposit upon check-in. There's a free breakfast buffet from 7-10am on Saturday and Sunday. If you'll be driving or renting a car in Cincinnati, there is valet parking at the hotel for $36 per day. There are also a couple of other public parking garages within a block or two of the hotel that will be a little cheaper, but our Cincinnati partners didn't have any specific recommendations.
