Best Places in the World to Celebrate Oktoberfest

There’s no denying the appeal of going to Munich for Oktoberfest – of experiencing the world-famous festival in the city where it was born, and where it still thrives. But not everyone can get to Munich every year. Does that mean you have to leave your leiderhosen in the back of the closet and forgo your Oktoberfest partying? Absolutely not. Thankfully for anyone who enjoys oversized pretzels and mugs of beer, Oktoberfest as a celebration has spread far and wide around the globe.

One of the benefits of going to Oktoberfest in a place other than Munich is that you might find better travel deals. Because Oktoberfest takes place in what’s traditionally considered the “shoulder season” in much of the world, prices on things like airfare and hotels will be a bit lower than they would be in Munich (when they raise prices specifically because of the festival). Not only that, seeing Oktoberfest in another country can be a pretty interesting cultural experience.

Here, then, are some of the best places outside Germany to experience Oktoberfest.

>> Oktoberfest in Munich is from September 22 to October 7 in 2012 - but the dates of the festivals below varies

Scandinavia

They’re not far from Germany, so it’s not surprising that the countries of Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden are fabulous places to celebrate Oktoberfest.

• Denmark hosts the European Beer Festival every September in Copenhagen at the old Carlsberg brewery, and there’s even a second huge beer festival in Copenhagen each May (in case you wanted two Oktoberfest-ish parties in one year).
• Iceland’s big Oktoberfest celebration is in Reykjavik, and takes over the center of the city during the first weekend in October.
• There are a few places in Norway to party for Oktoberfest, including Oslo, Eidsvoll, Lillestrøm, Jessheim, and Kongsvinger. The dates and durations vary, but they all start in September.
• Sweden’s main Oktoberfest takes place in Stockholm, and although it’s technically a “beer and whisky festival” it’s commonly known as Stockholm’s Oktoberfest.

Brazil

You might not expect one of the largest Oktoberfest celebrations in the world to be in South America, but it is – Blumenau, Brazil hosts what is reported to be the biggest Oktoberfest outside Germany. Blumenau is in a part of Brazil that was a landing spot for many German immigrants over the years, and they’ve celebrated Oktoberfest in grand style since 1984. It’s an 18-day celebration, so roughly similar in duration to the original back in Munich.

United States

There are several places in the U.S. that have famous Oktoberfest celebrations – and in fact, just about every state with any poulation of people with German ancestry will likely have at least one day they’ll dedicate to the festival. But these cities are the ones to head for if you’re looking for something more than just a small community festival.

• Ohio is home to two of the biggest Oktoberfest parties in the country, and luckily they don’t usually overlap – so you can enjoy both. Cincinnati’s is cleverly called Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati and runs over a weekend in mid-September, while Columbus’ German Village Oktoberfest stretches over the weekend at the very end of September into October. Both involve the usual assortment of Bavarian beer and food, along with music (kazoo band in Cincinnati, anyone?), shopping, and other activities. Columbus even sets up a 233-acre German village for the weekend.
• Denver’s Oktoberfest is reportedly the second-largest in the country (behind Cincinnati), and takes place over two weekends in late September. You’ll find all the traditional Oktoberfest foods and beers on hand, as well as some semi-hokey but still fun activities like a polka-thon.
• Southern California is home to two particularly notable Oktoberfest celebrations. Both run over every weekend from mid-September through the end of October, so there’s ample time to enjoy both of them in one visit (especially since they’re both just outside the Los Angeles area). One is at Big Bear Lake, which transforms into a German village for the month. The other is at the Alpine Village in Torrance – which obviously doesn’t need to do any transforming to be an appropriate Oktoberfest host. There are fun events and music at both celebrations, along with the requisite food and beer.
• Tulsa, Oklahoma may not be the first place you think of for a top-notch Oktoberfest celebration, and it’s definitely not among the biggest in the country, but Bon Appetit magazine named Tulsa’s Oktoberfest as the fest with the “best German food,” so party-goers who are also foodies may want to take note. There are also plenty of fun activities taking place throughout the festival, too, which takes place in mid-to-late October.
• The name Frankenmuth sounds German enough, right? This Michigan town’s Oktoberfest was definitely authentic enough to be the first Oktoberfest outside Germany to be “sanctioned” by Munich and the German Parliament. And that’s saying something. Frankenmuth’s Oktoberfest takes place over a long weekend in mid-September, and incorporates both traditional Oktoberfest food and fun with things like wiener dog races.

Canada

One of the biggest Oktoberfest celebrations outside Germany is in Ontario, Canada – it’s the effort of the twin cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, and is the largest Oktoberfest in Canada. It’s not as long as the real deal in Munich, but it is a 9-day festival in mid-to-late October – and since so many are just over 2-3 days, it’s nice to have more time to enjoy this one. The town of Kitchener in particular has a strong German history – it was originally named Berlin, and much of the population is of German descent.

Hong Kong

On the other side of the world from Germany? No worries. There are a few places in Hong Kong that host Oktoberfest-ivities. The best known is at the Marco Polo Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, which sets up a tent outdoors and brings in a German band. Other Hong Kong spots celebrating Oktoberfest are the King Ludwig Beerhall and the Biergarten – but Oktoberfest partiers in Hong Kong should pay special attention to the dates of the parties. Although Oktoberfest traditionally starts in September, all the parties in Hong Kong start in mid-to-late October.

Argentina

Although the Blumenau celebration in Brazil is South America’s most famous Oktoberfest, there’s a party in nearby Argentina as well. The small mountain town of Villa General Belgrano hosts a rather large Oktoberfest party every year. Why? The town was founded by Germans and remains something of a mini-Bavaria to this day. Much of the architecture is reminiscent of Alpine architecture, there’s a weekly German-language newspaper, and church services are in both Spanish and German. So although the town itself is quite small, the Oktoberfest party here – also known as the National Beer Festival – is second only to Blumenau in terms of size in South America.

photo by Mango Escobar