Oktoberfest is in the blood here in Milwaukee. Most Milwaukee (and Wisconsin) natives have some form of German ancestry, large or small. You see it everywhere – in the beer, the brats, and the polka. We are about 30% German between the two of us here at Milwaukee Beer Gear. Traveling to Germany is still on our bucket list – we are hoping for a Wambold family trip in 2019 – and we’d love to be there during Oktoberfest.
But, since we cannot celebrate Oktoberfest in Germany this year, we’ve decided to round up all the ways we can celebrate in Milwaukee.
- Milwaukee Oktoberfest (Sept. 29 – Oct. 1, Oct. 6 – Oct. 8)
- Located at Pere Marquette Park off of Old World 3rd Street, Milwaukee Oktoberfest is a FREE event happening two weekends in a row.
- What to expect:
- Ceremonial Keg Tapping: Friday, Sept. 29 at 5:00 p.m.
- Cornhole (or baaaags) Tournament: Sunday, Oct. 1 at 12 p.m.
- Miss Oktoberfest Contest: Friday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m.
- Das Boot Bar Crawl: Saturday, Oct. 7 at 12 p.m.
- Brat Eating Contest: Saturday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m.
- Packers vs. Cowboys Game: Sunday, Oct. 8 at 3 p.m
- Live polka music, brats, pretzels and more!
- The Bavarian Bierhaus (Sept. 8-9, 15-16, 22-23, 29-30 & Oct. 6-7)
- Bavarian Bierhaus is a newish restaurant and bar in Glendale with a mix of German and American cuisine. General admission to Oktoberfest is $10 per person.
- What to expect:
- Traditional German beer
- Traditional German music
- Traditional German food
- Yodeling
- Schuhplattler folk dancing
- Cedarburg Oktoberfest (Oct. 14-15)
- Sponsored by BMO Harris, the free Cedarburg Oktoberfest is hosted in Ozaukee County, one of the oldest German settlements in Wisconsin.
- What to expect:
- Authentic German music
- A live Glockenspiel Show
- Polka dancing
- German foods and beers, wines and desserts
- Milwaukee Area Volkswagon Club car show
We’re excited to celebrate our German heritage over the next few weeks. Below are a few photos from an Oktoberfest celebration in Cincinnati in 2013 (of course we snuck a Packer game in there too).
