Oktoberfest 2026 in Elm Grove

Oktoberfest gives Elm Grove a night out. Beer festivals and beer gardens bring live music, giant steins and dancing, and the polka has never been compulsory. Come with people and the eating starts on its own, bratwurst and pretzels going round the long tables all evening. If a good beer with friends is the whole idea, keep it. Browse Oktoberfest 2026 events and parties across Elm Grove, find one that fits, and book your tickets before they're taken.

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Next up in Elm Grove

Elkhorn Oktoberfest

Sat, Oct 17 · 9:00 AM · Veteran's Square, Elkhorn, Wi

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Oktoberfest events in Elm Grove

Sat, Oct 17Veteran's Square, Elkhorn, Wi

Elkhorn Oktoberfest

Celebrate the season with a taste of German food, good music and cold beers! Let’s Tiki Together!

9:00 AM

Sat, Oct 17Veterans' Park Elkhorn, WI

2026 Oktoberfest Cornhole Tournament

At the Elkhorn's Oktoberfest, Saturday October 17th, we will be hosting a Cornhole Tournament and selling raffle tickets for some great items. Tournament details: $40/team, Cash Prizes for 1st and 2nd place, double elimination, pay cash registration at th

10:45 AM

Most popular

Oct 17–181221 Wauwatosa Rd, Cedarburg2 days

Elbow Room Cedarburg OktoBEERfest

Join us for an OktoBEERfest weekend of fun!! SAT 10/17 3PM-9PM | SUN 1-/18 12PM-6PM

3:00 PM

Sat, Oct 17Veterans Park, Elkhorn

Oktoberfest Raffle

Contact an Elkhorn Lions Club member for tickets OR visit the Elkhorn Lions club booth at Oktobrtfest. Need not be present to win. Drawing 5pm October 17th will be live streamed on Facebook.

4:00 PM

Sat, Oct 17Mailing 4623 75th Street STE 4-221, Kenosha, WI

Octoberfest at the Kenosha Moose Lodge

A fundraiser for the Kenosha Welcome Center Food Pantry DJ, raffle baskets, food for sale, cash bar Buy tickets online or at the door! $10.00 Kenoshawelcomecenter.org/events

5:00 PM

Wed, Oct 21Lombardi Brewing Company, Milwaukee

Backyard Historians #9: SCream City Chills

⏳ The return of Backyard Historians! 🎉 Celebration of our 1st Anniversary! *There will be a handful of door prize giveaways including a one-night stay at the beautiful Brewhouse Inn & Suites in the historic Pabst brewery complex. What more do you nee

6:30 PM

Best for a date

Oct 23–25Lake Geneva House of Music3 days

BEER TASTING @ FallTober Fest

🍺 FallTober Fest Beer Tasting 🍂 Raise a glass to fall! Join Jen at The Front Porch Bar for a seasonal tasting featuring 3 beers and 1 cider perfect for the autumn season. 🍻 Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest 🍻 Low Daily Local Motion 🎃 Samuel Adams Jack-O Pumpkin

4:00 PM

Tasting

Best on a budget

Sat, Oct 244100 S Lake Dr, Saint Francis

Oktoberfest at The Landing

Celebrate Oktoberfest at The Landing with free beer, snacks, accordion music, German favorites, and a festive sing-along! Join us for Oktoberfest at The Landing on Thursday

6:00 PM

Free

Nearby

More Oktoberfest events around Elm Grove

Worth the trip from Elm Grove, soonest first.

Worth the trip

Sat, Oct 24The Domaine at Hawthorn Row, Vernon Hills

Harvest Fest

2:00 PM

Live musicFamily-friendly

Before you go

Know before you go in Elm Grove

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 Elm Grove: 1 of 8 free to get in.

When to go

Elm Grove starts between 9:00 AM and 6:30 PM.

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

In Elm Grove: Saturday is the big day, with 6 of 8 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.

  • 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

More than two centuries of Oktoberfest start with a wedding. On 12 October 1810 Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, and five days later Munich held a horse race in her honour on a meadow at the edge of the city. The celebration became a yearly fixture, and its dates moved into September for the sunshine.

Munich's 2026 Wiesn ran from September 19 to October 4.

Asked and answered

Oktoberfest in Elm Grove: the basics

When is Oktoberfest in Elm Grove in 2026?

Oktoberfest events in Elm Grove run from Oct 17 to Oct 24, 2026: 8 events. The busiest weekend is Oct 16 – Oct 18, with 5 events.

Is there an Oktoberfest event in Elm Grove this weekend?

Yes: 5 events are on for Oct 16 – Oct 18, including Elkhorn Oktoberfest at Veteran's Square, Elkhorn, Wi, 2026 Oktoberfest Cornhole Tournament at Veterans' Park Elkhorn, WI and Elbow Room Cedarburg OktoBEERfest.

Are there free Oktoberfest events in Elm Grove?

Yes: 1 of the 8 listed is free to get into, including Oktoberfest at The Landing.

Is there an Oktoberfest near Elm Grove?

Yes: 4 more events are listed within reach of Elm Grove, in Sheboygan, Johnson Creek, Elkhorn and Vernon Hills. The soonest is Cooking Class: Best of Oktoberfest in Sheboygan, on Tue, Oct 20.

Where is Oktoberfest held in Elm Grove?

At 8 venues, including Veteran's Square, Elkhorn, Wi, Veterans' Park Elkhorn, WI, Veterans Park and Mailing 4623 75th Street STE 4-221, Kenosha, WI.

What are the best Oktoberfest events in Elm Grove?

The most popular on AllEvents right now are Elbow Room Cedarburg OktoBEERfest (Oct 17–18), Elkhorn Oktoberfest at Veteran's Square, Elkhorn, Wi (Sat, Oct 17) and Oktoberfest at The Landing (Sat, Oct 24).

When is Oktoberfest in Munich in 2026?

Munich's 2026 Oktoberfest ran from September 19 to October 4, 2026, 16 days on the Theresienwiese.

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.