Oktoberfest: The Ultimate Fall Festival
Apples, and pumpkins, and hayrides, oh my! The fall season is chock-full of harvest-originated festivals of fun to be had for the whole family. For the adults, the ultimate level of fall fun can be reached with partaking in the time-honored tradition of Oktoberfest.
The first Oktoberfest was held in the year 1810 to honor the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The wedding festivities lasted for 6 days from October 12th through October 17th and everyone from nobility to peasants attended, with entertainment including horse races, parades, music, dancing, plays and theatrical performances, along with free food and drink. The grounds where the celebration took place were public fields and were named Theresienwiese, or “Therese’s Fields” in honor of the princess. Theresienwiese was eventually shortened to “Wiesn” by the locals, and what you will hear used today in modern-day Munich. Each year after 1810, during autumn, the festivities continued to be held, creating a yearly tradition. The timeframe of the celebration was eventually prolonged and it began to be held in September. Mostly, this was due to better weather during the month of September, and today the festival has grown into a two-week celebration in Munich that starts at the end of September and ends at the beginning of October. For 2025 it will run from Saturday, September 20th through Sunday, October 5th.
Fun Fact: Even though Oktoberfest began 215 years ago, 2025 only marks the 190th event held because the festivities were cancelled during Napoleon’s invasion of Bavaria, both world wars, during two cholera outbreaks, hyperinflation of the 1920s, and more recently, Covid-19.
On the opening day of Oktoberfest, the Mayor of Munich taps the first keg of Oktoberfest beer in the Schottenhamel tent at noon…and this commences the next two weeks of parades, amusement park rides, serving of traditional Bavarian food, liter upon liter of beer being consumed, bands playing, everyone singing, dancing, and partaking in a little bit of debauchery while wearing traditional dirndls and lederhosen! Each day the 14 big tents on the Oktoberfest grounds open to the public at 10am on weekdays and 9am on weekends and close at 10:30pm. The Oktoberfest grounds are much like our New York State fairgrounds. The “tents” take about 3 months to be constructed and starts in June. Each of the 14 tents hold thousands of people at one time – the largest tent, Schottenhamel, holds a capacity of 6,000 inside with another 4,000 outside, giving it a total capacity of 10,000 people at one time! And there are fourteen of these tents with capacity limits just a hair behind this number (and this does not include the 21 other small to medium tents that are not included in the big 14). Therefore, you can imagine just how large the Wiesn actually is! Each tent also has a different theme, character, feel, different bands, and different type of Oktoberfest beer served.
Getting into the Oktoberfest grounds is free for anyone and everyone and the crowds are large. Each day, as many as 600,000 people enter, and there are technically only about 130,000 combined seats at the tents. The majority of tents keep a certain percentage of seats open to the general public, which are filled on a first come-first served basis – so the key is getting to these tents early, with euros (although cashless options are growing), and a few friends with the intention of planning to stay all day, because if you move your feet, you lose your seat! It is also free to walk into any tent, even just to look around, however, you are not allowed to order any beer or food in said tent if you are not seated at a table. It is possible to obtain a reservation at the tents which essentially means that your seat is saved. Reservation requests start in December, prior to the next year’s festivities, on-site in Germany and they begin online starting in April; it is also an option to send a letter by snail-mail. While you can find single-person reservations, a typical reservation is for an entire table with seating that ranges from 4-12 people, depending on the tent, and the price varies. A reservation will typically come with vouchers for a stein and/or a bite to eat, however, you will likely want to purchase further vouchers for beer (per liter) and food (chicken, pretzels, sausages, etc). Further information can be found at: www.munich.travel/en and www.oktoberfest.de
The grounds themselves have something for everyone. There are food stands, roasted nuts, souvenirs, games, amusement park rides that rival those here at home, and lots to see and do other than drink. Pets are not allowed. Children are allowed with daytime tending to be more family-friendly than at night when adult frivolity is out in full-force! The grounds and most tents are also handicapped accessible.
In 1887, lederhosen and dirndls, which are traditional Bavarian clothing known as “Trachten,” became the official dress of Oktoberfest attendees. Truly, you will see approximately 75% of folks dressed in traditional garb and the rest in casual clothing. However, dressing up is part of the fun! You will see men wearing lederhosen, which are breeches made of leather – traditionally made of deer hide – that fall between mid-thigh and knee. They are often worn with suspenders. Dirndls are comprised of a corseted-type dress with a full knee-length skirt, worn with a white blouse underneath, and an apron. Dirndls come in all different colors, prints, and materials. For women, (and men on the prowl, for that matter) the most important aspect is where you place the bow of your apron: Tying the apron bow on the left front hip means you are a single gal. Tying the bow on the right front hip means that a girl is taken or married. If the bow of the apron is tied in the back, it means the woman is widowed, or a waitress. While it may be hard to find traditional lederhosen and dirndls in the US, there are plenty of options in Germany with shops on nearly every corner in Munich during Oktoberfest. Or, find yourself someone here in the states who can sew, as I did for my dirndl when I attended Oktoberfest in Munich back in 2018! (Thanks, Mom!)
Now onto the beer! All the beer served at Oktoberfest is brewed within the city limits of Munich. The Bavarian Purity Law states that the minimum standard ABV must be 6%. The color of the beer may appear light and unfiltered, but most brews are going to be well over that minimum ABV standard. A formal reservation will include a beer voucher for a stein or two – each stein holds an entire liter of beer: 33.8 oz., or the equivalent of approximately 3 bottles of beer. The cost of a stein of beer this year, in 2025, is projected to be between 14.50 euros and 15.80 euros – which is the equivalent of $17.00-$19.00 USD. Also, it is illegal to take the steins home from the beer tents as souvenirs. If you would like to purchase one to take home, each tent has a gift shop where you can purchase one for around 15 euros.
The key to drinking at Oktoberfest is to pace yourself! For those who may go past their limits, there is a spot on the right-hand, far side of the Oktoberfest grounds, lovingly called “puke hill” by the locals. At any given time during the day or night, you can find a multitude of various people sprawled out, passed out, and generally sobering up. You can easily locate this hill by the 61 ft. statue of a Roman- or Grecian-looking woman, grasping and raising a “wreath of victory” above her with her left arm, holding a sword with her right arm, with a beautiful and majestic lion standing by her side. The monument, built in 1850, is meant to symbolize Bavaria’s power and strength.
My own experience with Oktoberfest was an incredible one! I chose the Hofbräu-Festzelt tent. This tent can be located by simply looking for the large gold crown atop its peak on the outside. The crown stands two meters tall and is part of the brands logo. Known to be more of an “international” tent, it was for this main reason why I chose this tent for my reservation. The tent is the second largest on the grounds, holding almost 7,000 people inside with another 3,000 outside. As I walked inside, the Bavarian brass band, Plattlinger, greeted my ears playing lively tunes, both traditional and modern. My eyes just took it all in, the spirit of Oktoberfest was in the air and all around me, and would only become more so as the evening wore on! At the center of the tent was a large statue (hanging from the ceiling!) of a mustached man in a red cap with angel wings sitting on a cloud and playing harp. This is Aloisius, a figure modeled after the most famous service man/porter in the city of Munich, of which there are varying tales and legends, but who is affectionately called “The Man from Munich in Heaven.” Surrounding him were multiple HUGE quintals (100+ lbs) of real hops fashioned into giant wreaths that were suspended from the ceiling, with more pillars of hops cascading down the tent’s wooden beams. In short, it was a beautiful, whimsical tent.
Once I was able to shut my gaping jaw of awe and gather myself together, I made my way to my reserved table. I was initially the only female at the table with a bunch of German men, who were confused and slightly surprised to have a single American female joining them at their table. After some back and forth discussion between myself and the Germans, they warmed up to me a bit and soon after, others joined us at our table: friends, colleagues, girlfriends, and other acquaintances. As the beer continued to flow, Oktoberfest turned into a party. It was not only a party with the people (who quickly became my friends) at my table, but with the other 7,000 people in the tent too! We talked books, politics, traded stories of our respective countries and cultures in-between swigs of beer, bites of Bavarian chicken and soft German pretzels as big as two human heads, all-the-while singing loudly along with the band and “Prost-ing” too many times to even count. (“Prost” is the German word for “Cheers.) We laughed and joked and laughed some more, between their broken English and my basically non-existent German. By the end of the evening, every last one of us – not only in our group, but across the sea of people in the tent – young, old, dirndls, lederhosen, drunk or not, got up out of our seats, stood on our benches, held our steins overhead and danced and sang the rest of the night away to traditional German songs, and others including “Mamma Mia” by ABBA, “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver, and even “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus. When the party ended, we straggled out into the Weisn, ate roasted, candied nuts for dessert, and my new German friends even made sure I made it safely back to my hotel that night.
To say that all the countries represented in that very beer tent could have brought about World Peace if tasked to do so, would not have been an exaggeration! It was such an amazing, multicultural, friendly, joyful experience.
While it is likely not in the cards for any of us to head to Germany this fall for Oktoberfest, there are plenty of opportunities to dust off your dirndl, raise a stein and celebrate right here at home.
Copper City Brewing Company – Rome, NY. This being year number eight of Oktoberfest festivities for the brewery, on Friday, September 12th from 12-9pm they are celebrating this year with $5 Marzen pints from 12-3pm, German eats from 4-8pm, a 20oz. Marzen stein chugging competition at 5:30pm, and bringing Fritz’s Polka Band to the stage at 7pm.
Freight Yard Brewing – Clay, NY. In combination with the German American Society of CNY, this Oktoberfest celebration also presents itself as a good cause being a fundraiser for student scholarships. The festivities will run for two days: Saturday, September 13th from noon-10pm, and Sunday, September 14th from noon-7pm. Music and traditional Bavarian dancers will be present both days, with Liehs & Steigerwald serving up German eats both days as well. Saturday night will feature a late-night dance band, and there will also be children’s activities, so bring the whole family!
Meier’s Creek – Cazenovia, NY. The farm brewery is hosting a “Prost to Fall Fun!” on Saturday, September 20th from 11:30am-9pm. There will be live music from the likes of the Simple Life Band and the Jess Novak Band, a stein holding competition, axe throwing, disc golf, a brewery tour at 12noon, and German-inspired food and drink specials.
Saranac Brewing – Utica, NY. The 1888 Biergarten & Tavern is holding THREE Saturdays (12-8pm) full of festivities! Saturday, September 20th has a focus on Oktoberfest music and traditions with live music, a polka dance-off, yodeling competition, trivia, and German dancers. Saturday, September 27th is the Taste of Oktoberfest featuring traditional food tastings, beer label guessing game, more yodeling, and a sausage-catch competition. Saturday, October 4th will feature Oktoberfest games and challenges including barrel-rolling, pretzel toss, a sausage-eating competition, and stein racing. And, not to be outdone, each preceding Friday, there will be Oktoberfest food and pretzel-making along with stein hoisting!
Old Forge Oktoberfest – Old Forge, NY. The Central Adirondack Association is bringing two days of activities to the tourist town on Friday, September 26th (6-9pm) and Saturday, September 27th (12-5pm). Located at the George T. Hiltebrant Rec Center, a $10 entry fee will get you your very own souvenir beer stein. The event will feature traditional music, dancers, beer competitions, arts & crafts, yard games, craft vendors, traditional beer and food fare, along with fun for the entire family.
Whiteface Mountain Oktoberfest – Wilmington, NY. A very fun festival up in the high-peaks, this Oktoberfest runs a full weekend: Saturday, September 27th from 10:30am-6pm and Sunday, September 28th from 10:30am-5pm. Entertainment starts each day at 11am, with music and dancing, tons of fun activities for the kiddos, along with plenty of beer for the adults and traditional German food. This festival is ranked as one of the 5 must-visit Oktoberfests in North America by SKI Magazine. There are even gondola rides up the mountain to take in all the beautiful mountain views and spectacular fall foliage! Ticket prices and package options are available on the Whiteface website.
Prison City Brewing – Auburn, NY at the North Street location. Sunday, October 5th from 12-6pm. They will have 10+ Oktoberfest-style beers, both local and imported, along with German wines. The onsite kitchen, food truck and vendors will be serving up German eats. There will also be music, dancing, and a stein holding competition starting a 4pm. Reservations available but walk-ins are welcome.
Middle Ages Brewing Company – Syracuse, NY. On Sunday, October 5th, Fritz’s Polka Band will be playing all the classics and then some at the brewery’s Oktoberfest celebration. More details to be rolled out per the brewery’s Facebook page as the date approaches.
Continue to keep your eyes and ears open for more Oktoberfest festivities that are likely to pop-up in the weeks ahead. Prost!
