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Near Bethlehem

Famous for Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest 2026 in Bethlehem

Bethlehem gives Oktoberfest plenty of room. Beer festivals and Bavarian nights get it started with live music and giant steins, the dancing follows on, and the lederhosen stay firmly optional. The food holds the line the whole way, bratwurst and pretzels on nearly every menu and long tables down in the valley where the hours disappear. One good beer with friends is enough of a night. Browse Oktoberfest 2026 events and parties across Bethlehem and book your tickets while there's still room.

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Bethlehem Oktoberfest 2026

Sat, Sep 26 · 4:00 PM · New Street Pub

$7.13 – $30.65

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Oktoberfest events in Bethlehem

Best on a budget

Sat, Sep 26

Bethlehem Oktoberfest 2026

Get ready to celebrate Oktoberfest in Bethlehem in 2026! Bethlehem Oktoberfest 2026 🎉 Get ready to celebrate Oktoberfest like never before w

4:00 PMNew Street Pub

$7.13 – $30.65Bar crawl

Something different

Sun, Oct 4

Yuengling Oktoberfest 5K

*Event Pending Final Confirmation* Run Lehigh Valley is excited to announce that we are partnering with ArtsQuest to host the 2026 Yuengling Oktoberfest 5K on October 5th 2025 at 10:30 AM. Runners will start and finish in the middle of Oktoberfest. Ja!

10:30 AMSteelStacks

Run

Get the look

Dress up, raise a stein, throw your own

Outfits, steins and party kit for the season. Check delivery dates before you order.

Links go to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, AllEvents earns from qualifying purchases.

Nearby

More Oktoberfest events around Bethlehem

Worth the trip from Bethlehem, soonest first.

Sat, Oct 3

Oktoberfest

11:00 AM131 Rosemary Ave, Ambler

Family-friendly

Before you go

Know before you go in Bethlehem

Tickets, timing, what to wear, and whether the kids can come.

Tickets and money

Every organiser sets its own prices, and entry, food and drink are often sold separately. Check what a ticket covers before you buy.

In Bethlehem: Paid tickets from $7.13 to $30.65.

When to go

Bethlehem starts between 10:30 AM and 6:30 PM.

Weekend afternoons fill up first. Go early if you want a table.

In Bethlehem: Saturday is the big day, with 3 of 5 dates.

What to wear

Dirndl or Lederhosen are welcome, never required. In Bavaria they are everyday clothes, not a costume.

Bow tied leftsingle
Bow tied righttaken

Traditionally said, from the wearer's side. A custom, not a rule.

With kids

Festivals in parks and streets are usually all ages; events in bars are often 21+. The listing says which.

Eat and drink

What to order at Oktoberfest

Same word, two beers: Munich pours a pale lager, North America an amber one.

What Munich pours

Festbier

Colour
Pale gold
Malt
Lighter, bready
Finish
Smooth and easy-drinking
Strength
Around 6%

What North America calls Oktoberfest

Märzen

Colour
Amber
Malt
Rich, toasty, bready
Finish
Fuller, with a dry finish
Strength
Varies by brewer
A horse-drawn brewery wagon carrying six barrels

Ask for these on tap

Only these six Munich breweries may pour at the Wiesn. Their festival beers are the real thing.

  1. Augustiner
  2. Hacker-Pschorr
  3. Hofbräu
  4. Löwenbräu
  5. Paulaner
  6. Spaten
A one-litre Maß beside a US pint glass and a 330 ml bottle

Pace yourself

1 litre

A Maß is more than two US pints of 6% lager. Eat something with it. In Munich in 2026 one costs about €15.61.

Three glasses: lager with lemonade, wheat beer with lemonade, and cola with orange soda

Driving? Ask for these

  • Radler Beer and lemonade, about half the strength.
  • Russ Wheat beer and lemonade.
  • Spezi Cola and orange soda. No alcohol.

On the plate

  • Most eaten

    Hendl

    Spit-roasted half chicken

  • Schweinshaxe

    Crackling roast pork knuckle

  • Brezn

    The giant salted pretzel

  • Bratwurst

    Grilled sausage in a roll

  • Weisswurst

    Veal sausage, eaten before noon

  • Obatzda

    Beer-garden cheese spread

  • Steckerlfisch

    Whole fish grilled on a stick

  • Vegetarian

    Käsespätzle

    Cheesy egg noodles

  • Kartoffelpuffer

    Crisp potato pancakes

  • Radi

    Spiral-cut salted radish

For afters

  • Kaiserschmarrn

    Torn pancake with plum compote

  • Gebrannte Mandeln

    Warm candied almonds

  • Dampfnudel

    Steamed dumpling in vanilla sauce

  • Apfelstrudel

    Apple strudel

  • Lebkuchenherz

    Gingerbread heart, worn not eaten

At the party

What happens at an Oktoberfest

So you know what to do when the band stops playing and the whole room stands up.

Every 15 minutes or so

Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
der Gemütlichkeit.
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
der Gemütlichkeit.
Oans, zwoa, drei — g'suffa!

“A toast to good company.” Stand up, raise your glass, sing it twice, count to three, clink and drink.

The songs everyone sings

Most bands play these, loudly, more than once.

  1. Take Me Home, Country RoadsJohn Denver
  2. Sweet CarolineNeil Diamond
  3. FliegerliedThe arm-flapping one
  4. Skandal im SperrbezirkSpider Murphy Gang
  5. HulapaluAndreas Gabalier

How the games work

  • Masskrugstemmen

    Stein hoisting

    Hold a full litre at arm's length, elbow locked. Last arm up wins.

    On in Bethlehem, Sat, Oct 10

  • Keg bowling

    Kegs for balls, pins at the end of the lane, against the clock.

  • Stein race

    Carry full steins to the line. Fastest run with least beer spilled wins.

  • Bratwurst eating

    Ten brats, no buns, one clock.

  • Dachshund racing

    America's own: sausage dogs sprinting for their owners.

  • Costume contest

    Best dirndl, best lederhosen, judged by applause.

Words you will hear

Prost!prohst
Cheers. Look the other person in the eye when you clink.
O'zapft is!oh-TSAPFT iss
“It's tapped!” Shouted as the first keg is opened.
Maßmahss
The one-litre stein. Order one and you are holding two pints.
Gemütlichkeitge-MYOOT-lish-kite
Warmth and good company. The toast song is named after it.
Die Wiesndee VEE-zn
What Munich calls Oktoberfest, after its meadow.
Trachttrakht
Traditional dress: dirndl and lederhosen together.
BreznBRAY-tsn
The giant soft pretzel.
RadlerRAHD-ler
Beer and lemonade, for a lighter glass.

Since 1810

Why it is called Oktoberfest when it happens in September

A horse race on a Munich meadow in 1810, watched by a royal couple and a cheering crowd

Every Oktoberfest, Bethlehem's included, traces back to one meadow in Munich. It was named Theresienwiese after Princess Therese, whose wedding to Crown Prince Ludwig in October 1810 was celebrated there with a horse race. Munich still calls the festival die Wiesn, the meadow, and holds it mostly in September, because the weather is kinder than in October.

Munich's 2026 Wiesn is on now: day 6 of 16, until October 4.

Asked and answered

Oktoberfest in Bethlehem: the basics

When is Oktoberfest in Bethlehem in 2026?

Oktoberfest events in Bethlehem run from Sep 26 to Oct 10, 2026: 5 events. The busiest weekend is Oct 9 – Oct 11, with 3 events.

Is there an Oktoberfest event in Bethlehem this weekend?

Yes: one event is on for Sep 25 – Sep 27, including Bethlehem Oktoberfest 2026 at New Street Pub. Another 4 events are on nearby.

How much are Oktoberfest tickets in Bethlehem?

Tickets run from $7.13 to $30.65, set by each organiser, so check what yours includes before you book. None of the 5 events listed right now is free to get into.

Is there an Oktoberfest near Bethlehem?

Yes: 9 more events are listed within reach of Bethlehem, in Philadelphia, Chester, Morristown and Reading and more. The soonest is Oktoberfest at Yards 2026 in Philadelphia, on Sat, Sep 26.

Where is Oktoberfest held in Bethlehem?

At 3 venues, including SteelStacks (3 dates), New Street Pub and ArtsQuest.

What are the best Oktoberfest events in Bethlehem?

The most popular on AllEvents right now are Yuengling Oktoberfest 5K at SteelStacks (Sun, Oct 4), Hydraulic Lime at Oktoberfest 2026 - Tent 4 Yuengling Biergarten at SteelStacks (Fri, Oct 9) and 2026 USSA Pennsylvania Steinholding State Championship Tournament Finals at SteelStacks (Sat, Oct 10).

When is Oktoberfest in Munich in 2026?

Munich's Oktoberfest runs from September 19 to October 4, 2026, 16 days on the Theresienwiese. It is on now: today is day 6.

What is Oktoberfest, and why is it in September?

A Bavarian folk festival that began in Munich as a royal wedding party: Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese on 12 October 1810, and the celebrations ended with a horse race on 17 October. Munich later moved the start forward into September, when the weather is warmer, and the festival usually ends on the first Sunday in October.

What do you wear to Oktoberfest?

Traditional dress, a Dirndl or Lederhosen, is welcome but never required, and ordinary clothes are completely normal. In Bavaria, Tracht is everyday clothing for family occasions rather than a costume.

What is Oktoberfest beer?

In Munich it is Festbier: a pale, smooth lager of around 6% brewed for the festival by six Munich breweries. In North America, "Oktoberfest" almost always means Märzen, which is darker, amber and maltier. Same word, two different beers.

Worth the trip

Cities famous for Oktoberfest

Where the season is the whole city's business, from Munich's meadow to a Bavarian village in the Cascades.

Keep exploring

More to do around Bethlehem

Cities near Bethlehem