Oktoberfest, the centuries-old beer festival originating in Munich, Germany, is set to transform Southern California with Bavarian traditions. While the original German festival often begins in mid-September, many local celebrations extend throughout October, with some kicking off earlier and lasting into mid-November. Southern California residents can find a variety of events, from craft breweries to full-scale Bavarian villages, across Los Angeles, Orange County, San Bernardino, and even the mountains. These festivities promise live oompah bands, traditional attire like lederhosen and dirndls, and plenty of beer and sausages.
In the Los Angeles area, a Highland Park biergarten, sister to Wirtshaus and Rasselbock, hosts its second annual Oktoberfest celebration every Friday and Saturday through Halloween. The space transforms into a Bavarian beer hall, offering year-round sausages and schnitzel alongside special food and drink items, live music, and stein-holding contests during the event.
Over in Venice, the gastropub Wurstküche offers a Bavarian celebration every weekend through October 24. Attendees can enjoy rattlesnake and rabbit hot links, German and Belgian beers on draft, yodeling, and live German music. Tickets, starting at $72, include a Wurstküche beer stein and the first fill, with specific start times on Saturdays and Sundays. These seatings are noted to regularly sell out.
Offering a different take, the returning Dumpling & Beer Fest at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse features free general admission, live entertainment including K-pop and a dance party, and carnival games. Beer garden tickets provide unlimited tastings. Various vendors will sell fried and steamed dumplings, with nine local makers competing in the inaugural JoySauce Dumpling Bowl.
Santa Monica’s shopping and dining stretch is planning free Oktoberfest festivities on October 3. These include live polka music from Die Sauerkrauts, German food, beer, and contests for stein-hoisting and best-dressed. Family-friendly activities are available, and adults can receive a commemorative stein by purchasing a beer from participating establishments on the promenade, such as 1212 or Barney’s Beanery.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles presents a pet-centric Oktoberfest at Los Angeles Ale Works’ outpost in Hawthorne. This event includes beer steins, food, games, and adoptable pups. Leashed pets are welcome, and 20% of the afternoon’s proceeds will support spcaLA.
Santa Anita Park in Arcadia will combine horse racing with Oktoberfest fun over two weekends, October 10-11 and 17-18. General admission tickets include beer tastings, a betting voucher, and access to seating. The event features stein-holding and costume contests, corn hole, keg rolling, pretzels, and beer.
Throughout October, Dogtoberfest at South Coast Botanic Garden expands its dog-walking hours and adds Oktoberfest activities. A “Pup Crawl” features beer stations for humans, alongside live music from Die Sauerkrauts, stein-holding, and pretzel-tossing contests. New this year, dog VIP tickets offer “dog beer” tastings and access to a special Top Dog Zone with splash pads and doggie pools.
Silver Lake’s Red Lion Tavern, a long-standing establishment, maintains an Oktoberfest atmosphere year-round, intensifying celebrations through mid-November. Guests can order an Oktoberfest platter and a four-liter boot of beer, with live music and stein-holding contests on select nights.
At the oceanfront Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, The Bungalow hosts a weekend-long Oktoberfest. This event blends Bavarian and beachy vibes, featuring Paulaner and Hefeweizen beers, German foods like bratwurst and apple strudel, and entertainment from Festmeister Hans und Die Sauerkrauts. Adult entry is free this year.
The Fairplex in Pomona, home of the Los Angeles County Fair, will host Oktoberfest every Friday and Saturday from October 2 to 17. This 21-plus event includes Bavarian music, games, chicken dancing, and German foods and beers. Entertainment ranges from oompah outfits to cover bands for artists like Selena and Journey.
Outside Los Angeles, options are available for those looking for a day trip. Billed as “Orange County’s biggest party since 1977,” Old World Oktoberfest in Huntington Beach runs Wednesday through Sunday from September 12 to November 8. The re-created Bavarian village offers a sausage-filled menu, German bands, and a biergarten. While Friday and Saturday evenings are 21-plus with a cover, Saturday afternoons and other nights are open to all ages, with free entry on select days.
In the mountains, Big Bear Lake hosts its annual Oktoberfest every weekend from September to early November. Expect flowing beer, knockwursts, and dirndls. Entertainment includes numerous bands, many straight from Germany, and competitions such as stein-carrying (to crown an Oktoberfest Queen), log-sawing, and chugging.
Lake Arrowhead, located in the “Alps of Southern California,” offers an all-ages Oktoberfest every weekend from September 19 to October 25 this year. It features live German American oompah bands and unique competitions like “choke the chicken,” described as “like stein-holding but more fun.”
