Oktoberfest in New Germany fills up quickly. The beer halls run on Bavarian bands, giant steins and dancing, and knowing the polka has never been necessary. On the quieter nights the food is the reason to be there, bratwurst and pretzels everywhere and long tables that grow by themselves. Or a good beer with friends, nothing more. Explore Oktoberfest 2026 events and parties around New Germany, see what fits your week, and book your tickets before they run out.
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Most popularOct 15–18New Germany, Minnesota4 days
Thursday-Oct 15: Car Show & Farmer’s Market 2-7pm 5-8 Blake Klaustermeier & Friends featuring Nancy Buckentine on keyboard and Mike Wendolek on drums. Friday-Oct 16: 5:00 Food & Beer 6:00 Deep Roots the Christine Passig Band Saturday-Oct 1
Best for a dateFri, Oct 16New Germany, Minnesota
🍂🍻 Oktoberfest in New Germany! 🍻🍂 📅 Friday, October 16th, 6-10PM 📍 Big Tent – New Germany, MN Join us for live music on Friday, October 16 — hosted by FatBoyz and T-Road Tavern! 🎉 Enjoy authentic German food, live music, cold beer, and great community
Live music
Sat, Oct 17Kenny's T-Road Tavern
I'll be doing some solo acoustic songs when the other music takes a break. Come out for some great German food, beers, and fun!!!
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 New Germany, soonest first.
On nowOct 2–3New Ulm, MN2 days
On nowSat, Oct 3Downtown New Ulm
On now
On now
On nowSat, Oct 315400 Buck Hill Rd, Burnsville
Live musicFamily-friendly
On nowSat, Oct 3Oktoberfest - New Ulm
Stein hoisting
On nowSat, Oct 3Minnesota Street New Ulm MN 56073
Worth the tripBefore 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.
Weekend afternoons fill up first. Go early if you want a table.
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 is on now: day 15 of 16, until October 4.
Asked and answered
Oktoberfest events in New Germany run from Oct 15 to Oct 17, 2026: 3 events.
Nothing is listed in New Germany itself for Oct 3 – Oct 4, but 7 events are on nearby, in New Ulm, Wayzata and Rockford.
Yes: 9 more events are listed within reach of New Germany, in New Ulm, Wayzata, Rockford and Burnsville and more. The soonest is New Ulm Oktoberfest 2026 in New Ulm, on Oct 2–3.
At 2 venues, including New Germany, Minnesota (2 dates) and Kenny's T-Road Tavern.
The most popular on AllEvents right now are Deep Roots: The Christine Passig Band | Oktoberfest in New Germany at New Germany, Minnesota (Fri, Oct 16), Oktoberfest in New Germany at New Germany, Minnesota (Oct 15–18) and Acoustic at Octoberfest!!! at Kenny's T-Road Tavern (Sat, Oct 17).
Munich's Oktoberfest runs from September 19 to October 4, 2026, 16 days on the Theresienwiese. It is on now: today is day 15.
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 hallsKeep exploring
