Oktoberfest in Hilversum stays easy. The beer gardens carry the loud nights with live music, giant steins and dancing, and lederhosen were never obligatory. On the calmer ones you end up sharing a communal table with strangers, bratwurst and pretzels going round with a band in the corner. Or a good beer with friends, that's the lot. See what's on for Oktoberfest 2026 in Hilversum, pick one that suits, and book your tickets before they're claimed.
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Best on a budgetThu, Oct 22Kartoffel Biergarten, Utrecht
Dust off your lederhosen and get ready for an evening full of gemütlichkeit! Join us on Thursday, October 22nd for the YoungPBS Oktoberfest. Whether you're coming for the beer, the wine, the snacks, or simp
Free
Sat, Oct 31De Koperen Bel, Zaandam
Cafe Restaurant de Koperen Bel in Zaandam is een baken van rust op de Dam. Tussen al het geflikker van lampen, herrie en de laatste trends bewijst de Koperen Bel dat een goede sfeer, goed voedsel en goed bier tegen een goede prijs alle trends overleeft. D
Most popularSat, Nov 7Flint Amersfoort
Vorig jaar schreven jullie samen met ons geschiedenis in Theater Flint.🍻 Een uitverkochte zaal, tafels vol bierpullen, meezingers van begin tot eind en een sfeer waar nog steeds over nagepraat wordt. Kortom: een legendarische editie van Oktoberfest Amersf
Get the look
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.
Dirndl dressBodice, blouse, skirt and apronShop on Amazon 
Men's lederhosenLeather shorts, braces and allShop on Amazon 
Alpine hatGreen felt, with the featherShop on Amazon 
Trachten suspendersThe look for less, over any checked shirtShop on Amazon 
Lidded beer steinCeramic, with a pewter lidShop on Amazon 
Das Boot glassThe boot-shaped party glassShop on Amazon 
Hammerschlagen gameA stump, nails, a hammer: first nail flush winsShop on Amazon 
Bavarian flagBlue-and-white diamonds for the yardShop on Amazon 
Pretzel saltCoarse salt for homemade BreznShop on Amazon 
Baby lederhosenFor the smallest guestShop on Amazon 
Hot-dog dog costumeFor the dachshund racesShop on Amazon Nearby
Worth the trip from Hilversum, soonest first.
Worth the tripOct 24–25Nieuweweg 5 (t.h.v. de sporthal), 7948 AA Nijeveen, Netherlands, Meppel2 days
Oct 24–25Kerkeveld 2, 5437BH Beers, Netherlands, Mook2 days
Sat, Oct 24Café de Pimp, Den Helder
Sat, Oct 31Cafe Bet Kolen, Tilburg
Sat, Oct 31herwendaalseweg.36, 6562 AJ Groesbeek, Netherlands
Before you go
Tickets, timing, what to wear, and whether the kids can come.
Every organiser sets its own prices, and entry, food and drink are often sold separately. Check what a ticket covers before you buy.
In Hilversum: 1 of 4 free to get in.
Weekend afternoons fill up first. Go early if you want a table.
In Hilversum: Saturday is the big day, with 3 of 4 dates.
Dirndl or Lederhosen are welcome, never required. In Bavaria they are everyday clothes, not a costume.
Traditionally said, from the wearer's side. A custom, not a rule.
Festivals in parks and streets are usually all ages; events in bars are often 21+. The listing says which.
Eat and drink
Same word, two beers: Munich pours a pale lager, North America an amber one.
What Munich pours
What North America calls Oktoberfest
Only these six Munich breweries may pour at the Wiesn. Their festival beers are the real thing.
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.
Most eatenHendl
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
VegetarianKäsespätzle
Cheesy egg noodles
Kartoffelpuffer
Crisp potato pancakes
Radi
Spiral-cut salted radish
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
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.
Most bands play these, loudly, more than once.
Masskrugstemmen
Hold a full litre at arm's length, elbow locked. Last arm up wins.
Kegs for balls, pins at the end of the lane, against the clock.
Carry full steins to the line. Fastest run with least beer spilled wins.
Ten brats, no buns, one clock.
America's own: sausage dogs sprinting for their owners.
Best dirndl, best lederhosen, judged by applause.
Since 1810
If you have ever wondered why Oktoberfest happens in September, the answer is the weather. The festival began in October 1810 as a wedding celebration for Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese, complete with a horse race on the edge of Munich. Later organisers moved the start forward into September to take advantage of warmer evenings, and kept the original name.
Munich's 2026 Wiesn ran from September 19 to October 4.
Asked and answered
Oktoberfest events in Hilversum run from Oct 22 to Nov 7, 2026: 4 events. The busiest weekend is Oct 30 – Nov 1, with 2 events.
Nothing is listed in Hilversum itself for Oct 23 – Oct 25, but 3 events are on nearby, in Meppel, Mook and Den Helder.
Yes: 1 of the 4 listed is free to get into, including YoungPBS Oktoberfest.
Yes: 5 more events are listed within reach of Hilversum, in Meppel, Mook, Den Helder and Tilburg and more. The soonest is Oktoberfest Openbaar in Meppel, on Oct 24–25.
At 4 venues, including Kartoffel Biergarten, Bullekerk (Westzijderkerk), De Koperen Bel and Flint Amersfoort.
The most popular on AllEvents right now are Oktoberfest Amersfoort 2026 at Flint Amersfoort (Sat, Nov 7), YoungPBS Oktoberfest at Kartoffel Biergarten (Thu, Oct 22) and Oktoberfest XXL at Bullekerk (Westzijderkerk) (Sat, Oct 31).
Munich's 2026 Oktoberfest ran from September 19 to October 4, 2026, 16 days on the Theresienwiese.
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.
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.
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
Where the season is the whole city's business, from Munich's meadow to a Bavarian village in the Cascades.
MunichThe original, since 1810
CincinnatiOktoberfest Zinzinnati
KitchenerCanada's biggest
La Crosse, WIOktoberfest USA
Frankenmuth, MIMichigan's Little Bavaria
Leavenworth, WAA Bavarian mountain village
Fredericksburg, TXHill Country's German town
New Ulm, MNSettled by Germans in 1854
DenverDenver Oktoberfest, since 1969
MilwaukeeBrew City's German roots
ChicagoStreet fests all season
New YorkStone Street and the beer halls
