Shawano hands Oktoberfest its free evenings. Early on the beer gardens run on live music and giant steins, later it's dancing, with lederhosen entirely voluntary. The German food fills everything else, bratwurst and pretzels on nearly every menu and long tables where an hour turns into four. Or is a good beer with friends the real goal? Take a look at Oktoberfest 2026 events and parties around Shawano, check the dates, and book your tickets before they run out.
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Best with kidsSat, Oct 3214 S Main St
Join us in Shawano Downtown for our annual Octoberfest event, sponsored by Belmark. Located in the 100 & 200 blocks of South Main Street, and The Naberhood, there's something for everyone - live polka music, craft vendors, kids' activities, food, bev
Live musicFamily-friendly
Most popularSat, Oct 3203 S. Main Street
đCelebrate October Fest With Us!đ đ¤¸ââď¸Need a break from the October Fest festivities on Saturday, October 3rd?? Stop in anytime from 10:00-3:00 to let the kids burn off some energy on our open gym obstacle course while you give your legs a rest! Paren
Family-friendly
Sat, Oct 3Downtown Shawano
Something Wicked Boutique will be joining the fun at Shawano Downtown Octoberfest! Come visit us Saturday, October 3rd from 10AMâ3PM. Shop our wickedly unique finds and update your Witchy Wardrobe for Witchâs Night Out!!
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 Shawano, soonest first.
Sat, Oct 3E6485 CR-F, Weyauwega, WI, United States, Wisconsin 54983
Worth the tripSat, Oct 10125 W Huron St, Omro
Sat, Oct 10154 E Main St, Omro
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.
Weekend afternoons fill up first. Go early if you want a table.
In Shawano: Saturday is the big day, with 3 of 3 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.
In Shawano: 2 family-friendly events.
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 MaĂ is more than two US pints of 6% lager. Eat something with it. In Munich in 2026 one costs about âŹ15.61.
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 GemĂźtlichkeit
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
der GemĂźtlichkeit.
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
der GemĂźtlichkeit.
Oans, zwoa, drei â g'suffa!
âA toast to good company.â 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
Munich has been doing this since 1810, when it marked the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese with a public horse race. The next year Bavarian farmers added a show of their harvest, from hops and barley to fruit, and the festival stuck. It was later moved forward into late September, because the weather then is reliably better than in October.
Munich's 2026 Wiesn is on now: day 14 of 16, until October 4.
Asked and answered
Oktoberfest events in Shawano run from Oct 3 to Oct 3, 2026: 3 events.
Yes: 3 events are on for Oct 2 â Oct 4, including Shawano Downtown Octoberfest, October Fest Open Gym! - October 3rd @Vera Academy of Dance & Gymnastics and Something Wicked Boutique Pop-Up Event at Downtown Shawano. Another 2 events are on nearby.
Yes: 9 more events are listed within reach of Shawano, in Mosinee, Weyauwega, Omro and De Pere and more. The soonest is Oktoberfest in Mosinee, on Sat, Oct 3.
The most popular on AllEvents right now are Shawano Downtown Octoberfest (Sat, Oct 3), October Fest Open Gym! - October 3rd @Vera Academy of Dance & Gymnastics (Sat, Oct 3) and Something Wicked Boutique Pop-Up Event at Downtown Shawano (Sat, Oct 3).
2 listings say they are family-friendly: Shawano Downtown Octoberfest and October Fest Open Gym! - October 3rd @Vera Academy of Dance & Gymnastics. For the rest, check the listing before you go: many events held in bars are 21+.
Munich's Oktoberfest runs from September 19 to October 4, 2026, 16 days on the Theresienwiese. It is on now: today is day 14.
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
