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Near Winchester

Famous for Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest 2026 in Winchester

Oktoberfest lets Winchester stay out late. Early on the beer gardens run on Bavarian music and giant steins, later it's dancing, with the polka strictly optional. The food covers everything between, bratwurst and pretzels on nearly every menu and long tables that grow through the evening. Or is a good beer with friends the honest plan? Take a look at Oktoberfest 2026 events and parties across Winchester, find one that fits, and book your tickets before they're gone.

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Next up in Winchester

Oktoberfest

Thu, Oct 15 · 6:00 PM · Barbara's Bier Haus, Southampton

£33

Starts in

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Every listing

Oktoberfest events in Winchester

On nowBest on a budget

Thu, Oct 15Barbara's Bier Haus, Southampton

Oktoberfest

Join Beyond Building in celebrating Oktoberfest! Oktoberfest at Barbara's Bier Haus Join us on October 15, 2026 at 6:00 PM (BST) </stron

6:00 PM

£33

Best for a date

Fri, Oct 23Langstone Road, Langstone, PO9 1RD Havant

THE SHIP INN OKTOBERFEST 2026

🍻 OKTOBERFEST IS COMING TO THE SHIP! 🇩🇪 We've swapped the seaside for Bavaria for one night only... Join us on Friday 23rd October for an evening of great beer, live music and plenty of Oktoberfest fun. Enjoy the sounds of a live Oompah band, tuck into

6:30 PM

Live music

Best for groups

Sat, Oct 24Fleming Avenue, Southampton

Day at the Races

Details of Newbury Oktoberfest Race Day on Saturday 24th October: Tickets will be £20 and we can save 20% if we purchase 30+ tickets. This will include a Bavarian party (beirkeller, bratwurst, oompah bands and flat racing) coach will be extra. If everyone

12:00 AM

Live music

Sat, Oct 24Guildhall square, Southampton

Oktoberfest Southampton Saturday 24th October 2026 (Day Session)

🍺 Oktoberfest Southampton 2026 🇩🇪 Saturday 24th October (Day Session) – 12:30pm to 5.30pm The UK’s BIGGEST Oktoberfest Celebration Returns for Year 9! We’re back for our 9th year – and it’s set to be the biggest, loudest, stein-clinking Oktoberfest party

11:30 AM

Most popular

Sat, Oct 24Guildhall square, Southampton

Oktoberfest Southampton Saturday 24th October 2026 (Evening Session)

🍺 Oktoberfest Southampton 2026 🇩🇪 Saturday 24th October (Evening Session) – 6:30pm to 11pm The UK’s BIGGEST Oktoberfest Celebration Returns for Year 9! We’re back for our 9th year – and it’s set to be the biggest, loudest, stein-clinking Oktoberfest party

5:30 PM

Thu, Oct 29Stokes Bay Road, Alverstoke, Gosport, PO12 2QT Gosport, United Kingdom

Oktoberfest Taste Club

We are heading across to Northern Europe to celebrate all things Oktoberfest - with A German themed Taste Club! Think yummy pretzels with warm cheese dip, bratwurst - sauerkraut and you're on the right wave length! It's looking ausgezeichnet! The evening

7:00 PM

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 Winchester

Worth the trip from Winchester, soonest first.

Before you go

Know before you go in Winchester

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 Winchester: Paid tickets from £33.

When to go

Winchester starts between 11:30 AM and 7:00 PM.

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

In Winchester: Saturday is the big day, with 3 of 6 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

Named in Winchester listings:
  • bratwurst 2
  • cheese 1
  • pretzels 1
  • sauerkraut 1
  • 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

It is a festival with an anniversary: 12 October 1810, when Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria married Princess Therese. Munich marked the wedding with a horse race five days later on the meadow now called the Theresienwiese, die Wiesn to locals. The celebration became an annual event, and its opening was moved into September so the festival could enjoy better weather.

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

Asked and answered

Oktoberfest in Winchester: the basics

When is Oktoberfest in Winchester in 2026?

Oktoberfest events in Winchester run from Oct 15 to Oct 29, 2026: 6 events. The busiest weekend is Oct 23 – Oct 25, with 4 events.

Is there an Oktoberfest event in Winchester this weekend?

Nothing is listed in Winchester itself for Oct 16 – Oct 18, but 6 events are on nearby, in London.

How much are Oktoberfest tickets in Winchester?

Tickets run from £33, set by each organiser, so check what yours includes before you book. None of the 6 events listed right now is free to get into.

Is there an Oktoberfest near Winchester?

Yes: 9 more events are listed within reach of Winchester, in London and Wimbledon. The soonest is Oktoberfest on the Common - Friday 16th Oct 2026 in London, on Fri, Oct 16.

Where is Oktoberfest held in Winchester?

At 5 venues, including Guildhall square (2 dates), Barbara's Bier Haus, Langstone Road, Langstone, PO9 1RD Havant and Fleming Avenue, Southampton.

What are the best Oktoberfest events in Winchester?

The most popular on AllEvents right now are Oktoberfest Southampton Saturday 24th October 2026 (Evening Session) at Guildhall square (Sat, Oct 24), Oktoberfest Southampton Saturday 24th October 2026 (Day Session) at Guildhall square (Sat, Oct 24) and THE SHIP INN OKTOBERFEST 2026 at Langstone Road, Langstone, PO9 1RD Havant (Fri, Oct 23).

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.

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 Winchester

Cities near Winchester