Prost! Best Towns to Celebrate Oktoberfest in the U.S.

Lynn Celek

May 15, 2025

Can’t make it to Munich this year? No worries. The United States has its own share of beer tents, bratwursts, and lederhosen-filled celebrations.

We’ve organized the best by region, so you can raise a stein without crossing the Atlantic.

A woman raising a beer stein at an Oktoberfest party.

East Coast

📍 Reading, Pennsylvania

📅 Dates: TBD (typically late September)

Hosted by a private German-American club founded in 1885, the Reading Liederkranz Oktoberfest has been named one of the most authentic in the U.S.

Expect real German beer, pork schnitzel, live folk dancing, and bands flown in from overseas. It’s like stepping into Bavaria without leaving Pennsylvania.

Official Source: Reading Liederkranz

West Coast

📍 Leavenworth, Washington

📅 Dates: October 3–4, 10–11, and 17–18, 2025

Tucked in the Cascade Mountains, Leavenworth looks like a Bavarian village because... it was designed to be one. Picture alpine architecture, cobblestone streets, and beer gardens with the Cascades as your backdrop.

Oktoberfest in Leavenworth spans three weekends and includes parades, keg-tapping ceremonies, and dirndl-clad dancers twirling into the night.

It’s the kind of place where you can drink a Märzen, eat schnitzel, and then wander into a Christmas ornament store afterward. (Because it’s also a year-round Christmas town.)

Official Source: Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce

Mountain West

📍 Denver, Colorado

📅 Dates: September 19–21 and 26–28, 2025

Running since 1969, Denver’s Oktoberfest is one of the biggest in the Rockies. Held over two weekends in the city’s Ballpark District, it’s a high-energy celebration packed with keg bowling, stein hoisting, live music, and costume contests.

The crowd is lively, the beer is flowing, and downtown Denver turns into a Bavarian street party. If you want to drink beer at altitude with thousands of your newest friends, this is your fest.

Official Source: The Denver Oktoberfest

The South

📍 Helen, Georgia

📅 September 4–7, 11–14, 18–21, and nightly from September 25 through November 2, 2025

Now in its 55th year, Helen hosts the longest continuously running Oktoberfest in the U.S., dating back to 1970. It’s also the longest in duration—stretching nearly two months.

The town embraced its Bavarian makeover in the 1960s and hasn’t looked back since. Expect beer halls, polka dancing, and bratwurst that’s more authentic than you’d expect for north Georgia.

Official Source: Helen Chamber of Commerce Oktoberfest

📍 Fredericksburg, Texas

📅 Dates: October 3–5, 2025

Located in the Texas Hill Country and founded by German settlers, Fredericksburg's Oktoberfest offers a blend of German heritage and cowboy culture. Their Oktoberfest includes lederhosen contests, beer stein-holding competitions, and plenty of family-friendly activities.

Add in wine country views, and it’s Texas at its most festive.

Official Source: Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg

Midwest

We’re listing the most festivals here for good reason—this region was a major hub for German immigrants in the 1800s. Their traditions took root, and today the Midwest is home to some of the most authentic Oktoberfests in the country.

📍 Frankenmuth, Michigan

📅 Dates: September 18–21, 2025

Nicknamed “Michigan’s Little Bavaria,” Frankenmuth’s Oktoberfest is officially sanctioned by Munich—the first in the U.S. to receive that honor. You’ll find authentic Hofbräuhaus beer, German bands, and a cozy, small-town feel that’s perfect for a fall road trip.

Official Source: Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce

📍 Milwaukee, Wisconsin

📅 Dates: October 3–5, 2025

Milwaukee knows beer. And sausage. And German immigrants. You’ll find Oktoberfest events throughout the city, but the main downtown event is held at Cathedral Square Park.

Official Source: Milwaukee Oktoberfest

📍 La Crosse, Wisconsin

📅 Dates: September 25–28, 2025

Despite its French name and origins, the people who later settled and built the city were overwhelmingly German.

La Crosse is home to the Midwest’s oldest Oktoberfest, and you can feel the heritage in every keg-tapping, polka band, and parade float. It’s a community-wide event that takes over the small town for a week. Bonus: the setting along the Mississippi River is gorgeous in fall.

Official Source: Oktoberfest USA

📍 Cincinnati, Ohio

📅 Dates: September 18–21, 2025

Cincinnati’s Oktoberfest Zinzinnati is the largest in the U.S., drawing over half a million people. There's a brat-eating championship, a dachshund race, and more beer than you can responsibly consume.

It’s crowded, chaotic, and completely unforgettable.

Official Source: Oktoberfest Zinzinnati

Helen, Georgia

Celebrate Oktoberfest with a Custom City or Travel Map

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