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Famous for Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest 2026 in Columbia

Oktoberfest reaches Columbia when the heat breaks. Beer festivals and Bavarian nights bring live music, giant steins and dancing, and nobody's ever been turned away for skipping the lederhosen. Come with people and the food decides it, bratwurst and pretzels on nearly every menu and long tables downtown where the table grows without anyone organizing it. If a good beer with friends is the whole plan, that'll do. Look through Oktoberfest 2026 events and parties across Columbia and book your tickets before they're claimed.

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OKTOBERFEST WEEKEND 2

Sep 26–27 · 12:00 PM · 600 Canalside St Unit 1009

Starts in

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Oktoberfest events in Columbia

Most popular

Sep 26–272 days

OKTOBERFEST WEEKEND 2

SAVE THE DATE(S), COLUMBI-JA. TWO FULL WEEKENDS OF FUN, at Columbia's Original Riverfront Biergarten, Brewery, and Restaurant's ANNUAL OKTOBERFEST CELEBRATION! Rain Date October 3-4 Vendor Applications Will Open soon! Don't get scammed, all vendor infor

12:00 PM600 Canalside St Unit 1009

Best for groups

Sat, Sep 26

Columbia Oktoberfest 2026

Get ready to celebrate Oktoberfest in Columbia in 2026! Columbia Oktoberfest 2026 🎉 Get ready to celebrate Oktoberfest like never before wit

4:00 PMTaco Mundo Kitchen y Cantina

$7.13 – $30.65Bar crawl

Oct 2–98 days

Munich and Oktoberfest with Bierkeller Columbia

🍺 ACHTUNG, BIERKELLER FANS! A surprise change to our spring plans opened an unexpected opportunity this fall, and we're super excited to announce Bierkeller's first guided tour of Munich and Oktoberfest! We first offered this trip to guests from our s

12:00 PM600 Canalside St Unit 1009

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 Columbia

Worth the trip from Columbia, soonest first.

Before you go

Know before you go in Columbia

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 Columbia: Paid tickets from $7.13 to $30.65.

When to go

Columbia starts between 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM.

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

In Columbia: 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 MaĂź 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 GemĂĽtlichkeit

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
der GemĂĽtlichkeit.
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
der GemĂĽtlichkeit.
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.
MaĂźmahss
The one-litre stein. Order one and you are holding two pints.
GemĂĽtlichkeitge-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

The name promises October, but the festival mostly happens in September, and the weather is the reason. The first one, in 1810, celebrated the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese and ended with a horse race on 17 October. Over the years Munich pulled the start forward to catch the last warm evenings of the year.

Munich's 2026 Wiesn is on now: day 7 of 16, until October 4.

Asked and answered

Oktoberfest in Columbia: the basics

When is Oktoberfest in Columbia in 2026?

Oktoberfest events in Columbia run from Sep 26 to Oct 10, 2026: 5 events. The busiest weekend is Sep 25 – Sep 27, with 2 events.

Is there an Oktoberfest event in Columbia this weekend?

Yes: 2 events are on for Sep 25 – Sep 27, including OKTOBERFEST WEEKEND 2 and Columbia Oktoberfest 2026 at Taco Mundo Kitchen y Cantina. Another 3 events are on nearby.

How much are Oktoberfest tickets in Columbia?

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 Columbia?

Yes: 6 more events are listed within reach of Columbia, in West Columbia, Aiken, Lancaster and Newberry and more. The soonest is Savage Craft Oktoberfest 2026: Carnival in West Columbia, on Sat, Sep 26.

What are the best Oktoberfest events in Columbia?

The most popular on AllEvents right now are OKTOBERFEST WEEKEND 2 (Sep 26–27), Columbia Oktoberfest 2026 at Taco Mundo Kitchen y Cantina (Sat, Sep 26) and Munich and Oktoberfest with Bierkeller Columbia (Oct 2–9).

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 7.

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 Columbia

Cities near Columbia