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Near Virginia Beach

Famous for Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest 2026 in Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach gives Oktoberfest the off-season. The beer gardens handle the loud nights with live music, giant steins and dancing, and the lederhosen are welcome without being required. On the quieter ones the food is the reason, bratwurst and pretzels everywhere and communal tables near the coast where the evening loosens. Or a good beer with friends and nothing after. Browse Oktoberfest 2026 events and parties across Virginia Beach, check the dates and venues, and book your tickets while there's still room.

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Next up in Virginia Beach

Oktoberfest at Ballyhoos

Sat, Oct 3 · 1:00 PM · Ballyhoos

$33.85

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Oktoberfest events in Virginia Beach

Best for a date

Sat, Oct 3Ballyhoos

Oktoberfest at Ballyhoos

Get ready to raise your stein, enjoy some German favorites, and dance to live music at Ballyhoos’ Oktoberfest Celebration!

1:00 PM

$33.85Live music

Best on a budget

Tue, Oct 6Voodoo Brewing

Taps and Tapas III: Oktoberfest Edition

Join us for Taps & Tapas, an exclusive evening featuring five Oktoberfest inspired chef-crafted courses paired with five incredible beers. 🚨 BREAKING: Taps & Tapas is BACK! <

6:30 PM

$23.18

Best with kids

Sat, Oct 24712 Little Neck Rd

Trunk or Treat & Oktoberfest Celebration

Get ready for a night of family fun, fellowship, and fall festivities at St. Nicholas Catholic Church! 🍂❤️ Bring the kids and join us for our annual Trunk or Treat, where creatively decorated cars will fill the parking lot with Halloween fun and plenty o

6:00 PM

Family-friendly

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 Virginia Beach

Worth the trip from Virginia Beach, soonest first.

Sat, Oct 3438 High St, Portsmouth

Oktoberfest 2026

12:00 PM

$7.50 – $13.50Live music

Before you go

Know before you go in Virginia Beach

Tickets, timing, what to wear, and whether the kids can come.

What a ticket costs in Virginia Beach

Every listing with a price, cheapest first.

  1. Taps and Tapas III: Oktoberfest Edition$23.18
  2. Oktoberfest at Ballyhoos$33.85

1 listing does not show a price.

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 Virginia Beach: Paid tickets from $23.18 to $33.85.

When to go

Virginia Beach starts between 1:00 PM and 6:30 PM.

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

In Virginia Beach: Saturday is the big day, with 2 of 3 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.

In Virginia Beach: 1 family-friendly event.

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

A royal wedding in October 1810 is where it all began. Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese were married in Munich, and the city invited everyone to a horse race on a meadow outside the gates. That meadow became the Theresienwiese, the party became Oktoberfest, and the dates moved forward into September, when the Bavarian weather is warmer.

Munich's 2026 Wiesn is on now: day 14 of 16, until October 4.

Asked and answered

Oktoberfest in Virginia Beach: the basics

When is Oktoberfest in Virginia Beach in 2026?

Oktoberfest events in Virginia Beach run from Oct 3 to Oct 24, 2026: 3 events.

Is there an Oktoberfest event in Virginia Beach this weekend?

Yes: one event is on for Oct 2 – Oct 4, including Oktoberfest at Ballyhoos. Another 2 events are on nearby.

How much are Oktoberfest tickets in Virginia Beach?

Tickets run from $23.18 to $33.85, set by each organiser, so check what yours includes before you book. None of the 3 events listed right now is free to get into.

Is there an Oktoberfest near Virginia Beach?

Yes: 3 more events are listed within reach of Virginia Beach, in Portsmouth and Cape Charles. The soonest is Portsmouth Bier Garden Oktoberfest in Portsmouth, on Sat, Oct 3.

Where is Oktoberfest held in Virginia Beach?

At 3 venues, including Ballyhoos and Voodoo Brewing.

What are the best Oktoberfest events in Virginia Beach?

The most popular on AllEvents right now are Oktoberfest at Ballyhoos (Sat, Oct 3), Taps and Tapas III: Oktoberfest Edition at Voodoo Brewing (Tue, Oct 6) and Trunk or Treat & Oktoberfest Celebration (Sat, Oct 24).

Can you take kids to Oktoberfest in Virginia Beach?

1 listing says it is family-friendly: Trunk or Treat & Oktoberfest Celebration. For the rest, check the listing before you go: many events held in bars are 21+.

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 14.

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.

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 Virginia Beach

Cities near Virginia Beach