Dust off your dirndls and hop into your lederhosen: Oktoberfest season has arrived, bringing several Seattle-area celebrations and beer specials along with it. Whether you want to gulp foamy biers from a stein, nosh on soft pretzels, take in live music performances, or watch wiener dog races, here's your guide to celebrating in true Bavarian style. For more ideas, check out our food and drink guide.
OKTOBERFEST EVENTS
Brats, Brews, & Bands Festival
Past Event
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True to its name, this outdoor fundraiser hosted by Gateway Rotary Club of Thurston County boasts sausages, beers, and live music in spades. Your ticket gets you five tastes of beer, wine, and cider, plus access to performances from a dozen bands, including Mas Tequila (a Sammy Hagar tribute band) and Elton/Joel (an Elton John-Billy Joel tribute act). Local food truck vendors will provide additional nourishment.
The Hub at Lacey, September 11, 1-10 pm
Fremont Oktoberfest
Past Event
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Hoist your heftiest steins in celebration of "Seattle's largest beer festival," where you can taste over 100 German and domestic craft beers (excuse us, "biers") and feast on Bavarian-style food like Bratwurst and soft pretzels.
Fremont, September 17-19
Reuben’s Oktoberfest
Past Event
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The craft beer fan favorite Reuben's Brews will host an outdoor Oktoberfest experience with special beers, merch, glassware, live music by Oompah Machine, and a TBA food special made with Reuben's Pilsner.
Reuben's Brews, September 18, 1 pm
Oktoberfest at Queen Anne Beerhall
Past Event
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How heavy of a stein can you raise with your brute strength? Find out at this two-weekend bier fest, where you can dance around to live music from the Bonnie Birch Bavarian Band, Folk Voice, Darin Isaacs, and others, participate in a sausage-eating contest, watch football, and of course, drink lots of beer.
Queen Anne Beerhall, September 23-October 3
Prost! Oktoberfest
Past Event
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So far, Phinney Ridge's German bar has only posted a "save the date" for their Oktoberfest celebration, but more details should be available closer to the date. Past events have included activities like hammerschlagen and lebuchenhertz (gingerbread heart necklace) making for kids. They'll also feature Oktoberfest beers on tap beginning September 17.
Prost! Tavern, September 24
Kirkland Oktoberfest
Past Event
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Grab a bier and celebrate Oktoberfest on the waterfront with acres of biergartens, multiple entertainment stages, games, competitions, and more.
Marina Park, September 24-26
Oktoberfest Northwest
Past Event
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Enjoy a Munich-inspired Oktoberfest celebration filled with German-style food, bier, and live entertainment, including traditional music and dance and performances from '80s cover bands. The festivities include the "Bavarian Bier-lympics," a hammerschlagen tournament, and a "sports haus." Families can also enjoy wiener dog races, a Stein Dash 5K, a root beer garden, and more.
Puyallup, October 8-10
SPECIAL BEERS
A1 Hop Shop
The popular bottle shop has recently added several Oktoberfest brews, including beers from Alesmith
, Big Sky, Paulaner, Kulshan, Sierra Nevada, Hacker-Pschorr, and Dru Bru, to its extensive selection.
Broadview, Greenwood
Pickup, delivery, in-person
Future Primitive Brewing Company
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Future Primitive calls their seasonal festbier, which is brewed with 100% imported German malt and aged for over 12 weeks in the brewery's lagering tanks, "as authentic as it gets without going to Germany." It's available on tap and in four-packs of cans.
White Center
Pickup, in-person
Hellbent Brewing Company
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The award-winning brewery has just released two classic German-style beers: their traditional Kolsch, which they describe as "light, mildly hoppy, clean, and golden," and their Oktoberfest lager, which has "light copper color, bready maltiness, and a very mild hop flavor that delivers just a hint of fresh-cut grass and herbs, with a clean dry finish."
Olympic Hills
Pickup, in-person
Reuben’s Brews
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In addition to their Oktoberfest celebration above, Reuben's has unveiled their annual Festbier, a crisp lager inspired by the beers served in Munich during Oktoberfest. According to them, it's "less malty and more drinkable than marzen," and is available on tap and in to-go cans at the taproom and in distribution around the Pacific Northwest.
Ballard
Pickup, in-person