Oktoberfest comes once a year and it's a long awaited event that people love to celebrate!

Oktoberfest originated in Munich, Germany over 200 years ago. The famous tradition began on October 12th, 1810 when Bavaria’s Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The wedding consisted of several days of celebration involving lots of drinking, eating, and horse racing. After the big wedding, the celebration became a yearly event.

Germany’s Oktoberfest

Nowadays, in Germany Oktoberfest lasts for over 2 weeks. It usually begins the second to last Saturday of September and ends the first Sunday of October. Oktoberfest is still going strong in Munich, Germany where over 7 million people attended in 2019 in a three week period. Oktoberfest is held at Theresienwiese, where it has been for the past 200 years. Theresienwiese is a 100 acre space in Munich that is usually open to the public, but in June participants begin setting up tents and fun fair activities for the long awaited annual Oktoberfest.

This celebration is one of a kind and definitely something to be a part of at least once in your lifetime! Not to worry, if you don’t plan on going all the way to Germany for Oktoberfest, there are plenty of events being held in the United States for you to attend.

America’s Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest in the U.S. is a fairly common and popular happening. Every year during September and October people gather to drink beer, eat delicious food, and listen and dance to good ole German music. 

Many pubs and restaurants throughout the United States host single day events where you can drink a ton of beer, dance, participate in games, and more. Other areas of the country get more serious about Oktoberfest, like La Crosse, Wisconsin, where it has been hosting its Oktoberfest USA every year for the past 60 years. Each year, traditional events include stein races, barrel rolls, grain tosses, polka dancing, stein holding competitions, a Festmaster’s ball, and the tapping of the Sam Adams Golden Keg. Depending on how serious you are about Oktoberfest, you may not be up to traveling to enjoy the celebrations and you don’t have to! Oktoberfest events are typically held all throughout the country and can be easily found in your local happenings source for your town and nearby areas.

If you’re looking to do something small but festive, Pocono Brewery Company has the greatest appetizer to celebrate Oktoberfest. PBC serves up a giant brew pretzel with beer cheese and Bavarian molasses mustard. Pair the crowd pleasing giant pretzel with a German beer and you have the perfect Oktoberfest celebration in the heart of the Poconos! Pocono Brewery Company is the spot to check out for a wide variety of bold beer and awesome food.

Call or go online to find out more about PBC, view their menu and beer list, as well as so much more!