- calendar_month October 9, 2023
- folder Resources
What’s on tap for everyone’s favorite boozy fall holiday? Live oompah bands, lederhosen, dirndls and more beer than you’ll know what to do with.
Written by: Patricia Kelly Yeo | Tuesday, September 12, 2023
If beer and sausages are your idea of a good time, look sharp: Oktoberfest is around the corner. With all the beer Los Angeles has to offer from craft breweries to Bavarian-style biergartens, you’d be remiss not to celebrate Oktoberfest here in Los Angeles, but we’ve also rounded up larger, rowdier events a little further away in Orange County and San Bernardino if you’d rather make a day trip out of it. Put on your lederhosen, brush up on your oompah dancing and welcome autumn with a bratwurst in one hand and a stein in the other. Prost!
What is Oktoberfest?
A massive, centuries-old beer festival in Munich that’s now celebrated around the world.
When is Oktoberfest?
Though the German originator starts in mid-September (September 16 this year, to be exact), most Oktoberfest events in L.A. run throughout October, with a few that kick off in September.
The best Oktoberfest events near Los Angeles
- Things to do
- Festivals
- Big Bear Until Nov 4, 2023
Head to the mountains for the annual Oktoberfest at Big Bear Lake, where you'll be able to clink steins every Saturday and Sunday from September 9 to November 4 (as well as Fridays in October). Beer will flow, brats will sizzle and you’ll see every dirndl color under the rainbow. This year, they’re offering both indoor and outdoor events, as well as live oompah bands, including one flown in directly from Bavaria, and a full German food menu with vegan options.
- Things to do
- Festivals
- Pomona Until Oct 21, 2023
Home of the Los Angeles County Fair, the Fairplex in Pomona turns into a German wonderland for Oktoberfest every Friday and Saturday in October with Bavarian music, beer and plenty of chicken dancing. Sink your teeth into bratwurst, knockwurst and sweet corn while knocking back authentic German suds at this 21-plus event with DJs, oompah bands and new for 2023, the Das Kär Show, which will bring over 40 Volkswagen Beetles and other German-made autos to the Fairplex grounds. For those planning to attend the Fairplex's other October event, Lights Out, revelers can also buy a two-for-one "Boos & Brews" combo ticket for $30.
- Bars
- Gastropubs
- La Brea
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Wear your lederhosen to this Fairfax District biergarten, where an extensive selection of German brews gets served alongside traditional German fare like pretzels, sausages and Black Forest cake on Fridays and Saturdays from September 16 to October 28. For a real show, stop by at 3pm on kick off day to watch Wirtshaus's keg-tapping ceremony and get your first keg on the house. Regardless of when you arrive, however, you'll find Oktoberfest celebrated here complete with live music and food specials. They’ll also be celebrating Oktoberfest with stein-holding contests at their two other biergarten locations: Rasselbock Mar Vista and Rasselbock Long Beach.
4. Oktoberfest at Wurstküche Venice
- Things to do
- Festivals
- Venice Until Oct 22, 2023
For three weekends starting Saturday, September 23, this Venice gastro pub is throwing a Bavarian celebration complete with live music, lederhosen, yodeling and finger-licking fare. Dive into a savory rattlesnake and rabbit hot link topped onions and peppers, choose from a selection of German and Belgian beers on draft, and enjoy yodeling and live German music. The best part? Each $50 entry ticket (with noon or 4:30pm start times on Saturdays and 1pm start times on Sundays) includes a Wurstküche beer mug, with first fill-up included in ticket price.
- Things to do
- Festivals
- Huntington Beach Until Nov 5, 2023
Billing itself as "Orange County’s biggest party since 1977," the Old World Oktoberfest promises all the beers, brats, babes and bands to make you feel like you’re in Munich albeit with better ocean views. Every Wednesday to Sunday starting September 18 through November 7, this recreated Bavarian village will feature "Shot Girls," dancers, and oompah and German bands. Plus, the September 18 kick off event will feature the return of Old Word's famous wiener dog races (with additional races scheduled as well) While Old World's Oktoberfest is 21-plus with a cover charge on Friday and Saturday evenings, it’s open to families and revelers of all ages on Saturday afternoons and other nights (with free entry on Wednesday and Thursday).
6. Santa Anita Park’s Oktoberfest
- Things to do
- Festivals
- Arcadia Oct 14Oct 22, 2023
Held over two weekends (Oct 14-15, 21-22), this Oktoberfest celebration combines Santa Anita’s famous horse races with the best of the Bavarian fall festival, including stein holding and costume contests, a corn hole competition and pretzels and beer of course. Each $38 general admission ticket includes a mini tasting stein and eight three-ounce beer tasting, as well as a $5 betting voucher, a tip sheet and access to grandstand seating. A pricier $70 VIP group ticket (three-person minimum) secures you picnic table seating, as well as a $20 food voucher.
- Things to do
- Festivals
- Lake Arrowhead Until Oct 29, 2023
Held in the so-called Alps of Southern California, Lake Arrowhead’s all-ages Oktoberfest runs every weekend from September 17 to October 29 this year, hosting live German-American oompah bands, stein holding contests, children’s games and a daily all-ages sausage toss competition. Although there’s no entry fee, attendees are advised to book picnic (for up to eight people, $100 on Saturdays, $50 on Sundays) or pub tables (for up to four, $50 on Saturdays, $25 on Sundays) to secure seats closer to the stage. This year, the venue has moved to Lake Arrowhead Village's new Waterfront Park.
- Things to do
- Festivals
- Pasadena Oct 21, 2023
On Saturday, October 21, this all-ages Oktoberfest-inspired celebration hosted on the field at the Rose Bowl will feature over 50 Southern California craft breweries, as well as traditional Bavarian foods like pretzels and bratwurst available for purchase on-site. Spend an afternoon enjoying unlimited pours of craft beer and kombucha from the five-ounce tasting glass included with each ticket as you dance and sing along to live German music performances from Festmeister Hans and Die Sauerkrauts. Fork over a little a more for VIP, which grants you access to the festival an hour early plus a special seating area to enjoy your food and drink.
