A group of us including me, Jeff at Indulge the Wanderlust, and Angelina at Just Another Points Traveler will be going to .Oktoberfest. in Munich this week for opening weekend. This will be my first time in Germany and should be a fun time! For those who would like a taste, here are some Oktoberfests in the US.
Ohio
Oktoberfest Zinzinnati is the largest in the US in Cincinnati. In September you can partake in the German games, music, dance, and the largest chicken dance you will probably ever see.
Pennsylvania
Penn Brewery hosts the fest in September where at the tent you can get traditional German food, oompah-style music, and 7 Penn Brewery beers on tap.
Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival Oktoberfest. weekend in September. At the festival you will see various artisans, people in costumes, and German food favorites.
Texas
Wurstfest is a celebration of German culture, food, and Bavarian style entertainment since 1961. There are carnival rides, a whole lot of sausage, and a whole lot of family fun!
TX Renaissance Festival hosts .Oktoberfest. weekend in October and you will experience a variety of artisans, entertainment, costume & Bratwurst eating contest, jousting, and fireworks with bagpipes playing to end the fun filled day.
Chicago
St. Alphonsus hosts an .Oktoberfest in September where they celebrate German heritage Chicago style. Listen to authentic German bands, eat, drink and be merry!
Louisiana
New Orleans celebrates the festival at Deutsches Haus with lots of cold beer, authentic German cuisine, dachshund races and a parade. The event takes place for 3 weekends in October
Oklahoma
Tulsa Oktoberfest in October hosts games such as a dachshund dash and bier barrel races, and is known for its Bavarian cheesecake. You will also experience German music, carnival rides, and of course drink lots of German beers.
California
The Alphine Village Oktoberfest south of Los Angeles has been running since 1968 and is celebrated this year every weekend starting September and ending October. Come taste award winning sausage, listen to a variety of music and bands, and take in all that this festival has to offer!
Old World at Huntington Beach runs in September & October with tons of music, beer tasting, food trucks, shot girls in dirndl dresses, dachshund races, and a parade on Sundays. This festival is a party not to be missed.
Colorado
Denver Oktoberfest is the 2nd largest in the US and has been running since 1969. Fun events include beer hoisting contest, keg bowling, bratwurst eating contest, dachshund derby, and a host of German food and music. The festival takes place in September
Missouri
Soulard Oktoberfest in St. Louis in October is a party full of festivities such as strongest barmaid contest, bratwurst eating contest, and plenty of bands, beer, and German style food.
Florida
Oktoberfest in Cape Coral is the biggest in Fl with a huge tent and outside biergarten, plenty of beer and food, and a carnival area for the kids. The festival takes place in October
Washington
The Fremont .Oktoberfest takes place in September where you could go to the Tasting Gardens, see a TX Chainsaw pumpkin carving, and live music and lots of food!
This is just a small sample of the many Oktoberfests hosted in the US. So get your dirndl or lederhosen, a large beer mug, and get your sausage eating on! Prost!
Oktoberfest is one of my favorite festivals. Here are a few others which take place in Florida. First the largest Oktoberfest in Florida in Cape Coral on the southwest coast. Locally in Miami there is also a great one at the local German American Social Club”
Enjoy your trip!
Thanks for the links! Doing the research there were soo many that I couldn’t possibly put them all here. will include though 🙂
We went on a guys’ trip to Munich Oktoberfest 3 years ago and one of the fun things that we got to do by dumbluck is go up a church tower nearby the fest grounds for a 2-euro “donation”. We had a 360 degree view of the whole city. I want to say it’s Saint Paul Catholic church, but I really don’t remember the name. I remember it was the near the U-bahn train stop.
I think you are right about the Church and looking at the website, the interior and the view looks awesome! Thanks for the suggestion!
http://www.sankt-paul-muenchen.de/Paulskirche_02/Ausblick.html