The Sapporo Summer Festival is to Japan what the October Fest is to Germany. While the festival is taking place, Odori Park transforms itself from a park to a gigantic beer garden. Stalls spring up all over the green expanse, selling beer, soft drinks and snacks, such as grilled chicken, meat and fish, fried noodles, okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake), takoyaki (pieces of octopus fried in batter) and cotton candy. Concerts and other entertainment events are staged throughout the park, and there are fun-fair attractions for the children.