Want to celebrate with beer and pretzels? Check out C&I’s round-up of Oktoberfest festivals.
We may celebrate Oktoberfests in the West but it originally started across the pond. What started in Munich, Germany, in 1810 as a wedding celebration for Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen has now become one of the world's best and largest beer celebrations. Oktoberfest may sound like it should be held in October, and it was originally, but now most are held in late September or early October, and some even float into November. The original Munich Oktoberfest festival was pushed back into late September for better weather conditions in Germany.
Now, Oktoberfest festivals serve German foods like schnitzel and rotisserie chicken, fried fair food, pretzels, and, of course, beer. The specific beer for Oktoberfest is a Märzen, meaning “March beer” because it is brewed in March to be at peak flavor for the Oktoberfest celebration. It’s an amber-style beer, but eventually, tastes shifted toward a paler, crisper lager style, sometimes called Festbier.
Across the West, there are small and large celebrations to carry the original Oktoberfest event so we’ve gathered a list of some of our favorite Oktoberfests across the West. Prost!
My husband and I having Märzen beers in the traditional Maß or Mass glass, one liter of beer.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
October
The Zeeco Oktoberfest Tulsa celebration is one of the bigger celebrations. They boast of a few hundred taps of German and local beer. With live bands, arts and crafts, beer barrel races, and Dachshund races this Oktoberfest is a doozy.
La Crosse, Wisconsin
Late September
Started in 1961 as a small community event has turned into decades of tradition in La Crosse. They crown a Festmaster, host parades and more at this Oktoberfest.
New Braunfels, Texas
First 2 weeks of November
Wurstfest started out as the Sausage Festival; its more colorful current name came along later. It’s a Texas take on the German celebration with a lot of old-world heritage surrounding it in the town of New Braunfels.
Couple goes to Wurstfest in New Braunfels, Texas dressed in traditional Oktoberfest garb — lederhosen.
Breckenridge, Colorado
Mid-September
An iconic Oktoberfest celebration in historic downtown Breckenridge. With multiple breweries in town surrounding this ski town, the festival mixes time-honored Oktoberfest traditions with some local flavors as well.
Big Bear Lake, California
September to November weekends
Spread out over several weekends, starting in early September and ending in early November. Hans and Erika Bandows immigrated from Germany and started this event more than 50 years ago as a way to honor the Munich culture, food, and music.
Vail, Colorado
September
Held over two weekends to spread out the celebration from one village to another, Oktoberfest Vail plays host to all things German Oktoberfest. Plenty of traditional live music, Bavarian games, beer, cuisine and more.
Leavenworth, Washington
Weekends throughout October
This ski town already had its setting covered because Leavenworth is a Bavarian-style town. Multiple live band stages, local and imported beers and tons of German cuisine to drive the Oktoberfest feeling home Leavenworth’s Oktoberfest is unique.
Oktoberfest in Leavenworth
Mount Angel, Oregon
Mid-September
Boasting as the largest folk festival in the northwest Mt. Angel’s Oktoberfest is filled with celebration. It’s a German/Swiss-inspired festival with plenty of beer, wine, live music, and the traditional fair.
Photography: (cover image) courtesy Heribert Pohl via Wiki Commons; (Lederhosen) courtesy Megan Ann via Wiki Commons; (Leavenwirth) courtesy David Severance via Wiki Commons
