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Famous for Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest 2026 in Buffalo

Oktoberfest hands Buffalo an easy yes. Beer gardens and beer halls start it with Bavarian bands and giant steins, dancing follows on, and the polka never came into it. The German food runs the whole way, bratwurst and pretzels everywhere and communal tables where the evening quietly extends. One good beer with friends will do. Explore Oktoberfest 2026 events and parties around Buffalo, find one that suits, and book your tickets before they sell out.

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Next up in Buffalo

Strictly Hip and El Scorcho at Hofbräuhaus Buffalo ($25 cover at the door)

Fri, Oct 2 · 8:00 PM · Hofbräuhaus Buffalo

Free

Starts in

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Every listing

Oktoberfest events in Buffalo

Best on a budget

Sat, Oct 17

Parkside Avenue Brass at Hofbräuhaus Buffalo (FREE)

Come see the Parkside Avenue Brass band at Hofbräuhaus Buffalo! Enjoy authentic German cuisine and bier as you raise your stein while listening and dancing to the Parkside Avenue Brass </str

5:30 PMHofbräuhaus Buffalo

FreeLive music

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 Buffalo

Worth the trip from Buffalo, soonest first.

Worth the trip

Fri, Oct 2

Fall Fest

6:00 PM2 Saint Marys Hl, Lancaster

Live music

Before you go

Know before you go in Buffalo

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

What a ticket costs in Buffalo

Every listing with a price, cheapest first.

  1. Strictly Hip and El Scorcho at Hofbräuhaus Buffalo ($25 cover at the door)Free
  2. Oktoberfest with Parkside Avenue Brass at Hofbräuhaus Buffalo (FREE)Free
  3. Parkside Avenue Brass at Hofbräuhaus Buffalo (FREE)Free

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 Buffalo: 3 of 3 free to get in.

When to go

Buffalo starts between 5:30 PM and 8:00 PM.

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

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.

  • 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, Buffalo'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 9 of 16, until October 4.

Asked and answered

Oktoberfest in Buffalo: the basics

When is Oktoberfest in Buffalo in 2026?

Oktoberfest events in Buffalo run from Oct 2 to Oct 17, 2026: 3 events.

Are there free Oktoberfest events in Buffalo?

Yes: 3 of the 3 listed are free to get into, including Strictly Hip and El Scorcho at Hofbräuhaus Buffalo ($25 cover at the door), Oktoberfest with Parkside Avenue Brass at Hofbräuhaus Buffalo (FREE) and Parkside Avenue Brass at Hofbräuhaus Buffalo (FREE).

Is there an Oktoberfest near Buffalo?

Yes: 3 more events are listed within reach of Buffalo, in Lancaster, Jamestown and Holland. The soonest is Fall Fest in Lancaster, on Fri, Oct 2.

What are the best Oktoberfest events in Buffalo?

The most popular on AllEvents right now are Oktoberfest with Parkside Avenue Brass at Hofbräuhaus Buffalo (FREE) (Thu, Oct 8), Strictly Hip and El Scorcho at Hofbräuhaus Buffalo ($25 cover at the door) (Fri, Oct 2) and Parkside Avenue Brass at Hofbräuhaus Buffalo (FREE) (Sat, Oct 17).

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 9.

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 Buffalo

Cities near Buffalo