Oktoberfest in Washington, DC 2022
Washington D.C. doesn’t have to have an especially large number of Oktoberfest celebrations because there are some great ones nearby in Maryland and Virginia. But if you live in the District of Columbia, I would be compelled to check out these Oktoberfest celebrations:
2024 was a great year for Oktoberfest! We'll be back with more next year.
Looks like plenty of great Oktoberfest parties running all the way up to November to enjoy, so Prost!
All events showing current dates need to be verified to confirm that changes to the schedule were not made by the organizers after publication here. We do not run these events, and would hate for anyone to go out of their way only to find the event had been canceled after releasing a date. Please click through to the event website to confirm! Be safe and have a great fall!
2022 Events
Make sure to fill your fall calendar with an Oktoberfest in the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia.
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Past Events
Wunder Garten’s Oktoberfest Festival - Washington, DC - Sep 16 to Oct 9, 2022
Revelers will sip on beers in the Märzen-style hailing from Bavaria’s as well as the best Oktoberfest brews from local and regional breweries. Oktoberfest beer flights will be available, and guest will be able to purchase their beers in one-liter steins or fashionable glass boot. The popular Bavarian Olympics returns with stein holding contests and traditional Bavarian games.
District of Columbia
Oktoberfest at the Kentlands - Gaithersburg, MD - Oct 13, 2024
Wine-tasting featuring local Maryland vineyards and retailers, a traditional Beer Garden, food vendors and German entertainment. Live entertainment, artists and crafters, free horse-drawn wagon rides, apple cider pressing, traditional Oktoberfest crafts for children, and nonprofit vendors. Along Main Street, there are four more stages of entertainment featuring variety bands and community groups, an extended business expo, strolling entertainers, mini golf, children’s crafts, inflatables, and plenty of restaurants and retail establishments to explore. Noon to 5 PM. Admission and parking are free.. Satellite parking at 101 Orchard Ridge Drive
Multi-Cultural Festival and Oktoberfest - Columbia, MD - Oct 4 to Oct 6, 2024
Oktoberfest with beer garden on Friday night, and multi-cultural festival over the weekend.
Rocktobierfest - Rockville, MD - Sep 28, 2024
Rocktobierfest features two stages of entertainment, including German and rock music, German food, artisans, kids activities, and beverages for sale by local breweries. This annual event attracts more than 5,000 people to Rockville Town Center
Old Stein Inn Oktoberfest - Edgewater, MD - Sep 17 to Nov 5, 2023
Oktoberfest kickoff party is 6-10 pm with German music on the accordian, food and more. Celebration continues select dates thereafter.
Arlington Valley Fest - Arlington, VA - Sep 25, 2022
2023 Update: Host New District Brewing has shut down permanently, so we’re not sure this event is coming back …Family-friendly event with art music and KidZone (all free) plus food and dessert trucks for purchases. Beer packages are $22 and include souvenir mug and drink tickets. Replaces Capitol City Oktoberfest, and is presented by New District Brewing Company.
Wunder Garten’s Oktoberfest Festival - Washington, DC - Sep 16 to Oct 9, 2022
Revelers will sip on beers in the Märzen-style hailing from Bavaria’s as well as the best Oktoberfest brews from local and regional breweries. Oktoberfest beer flights will be available, and guest will be able to purchase their beers in one-liter steins or fashionable glass boot. The popular Bavarian Olympics returns with stein holding contests and traditional Bavarian games.
NOVA
Vienna Oktoberfest - Vienna, VA - Oct 5, 2024
An annual event on the first Saturday in October from 11 AM to 7 PM. Oktoberfest drinks, food. Live entertainment on three stages including a main stage for music. Family friendly games and children’s activities will also be available. Hosted by the Vienna Business Association. Free admission and entertainment. Pay as you go. Location: Church Street, Vienna VA
Oktoberfest at G34.3 Brewing - Lorton, VA - Sep 28, 2024
Come celebrate with good food, good people and as always, good beer. Food is catered by The Alpine Chief located out of Fredericksburg, VA
Oktoberfest at Settle Down Easy Brewing - Falls Church, VA - Sep 21 to Oct 5, 2024
Three weekends of celebrating Oktoberfest! Second weekend is Oysterfest and third weekend is Brat-oberfest
Lovettsville Oktoberfest - Lovettsville, VA - Sep 20 to Sep 22, 2024
Live music, beer, food vendors and games. Friday kicks off with a dinner at the firestation and the crowning of Oktoberfest royalty, plus ceremonial keg tapping followed by live music on the Town Green. Saturday brings a 5k and pancake breakfast, Wings and Wheels Fly-in, Oktoberfest party, children’s activities, vendors, chicken dance and tradiitional Bavarian song and dance. Don’t miss the Bohemian Rhapsody world-record sing-along attempt!
Oktoberfest Winchester - Winchester, VA - Sep 29, 2023
The annual Oktoberfest will bring German music, dancing and much more to Old Town Winchester! Oktoberfest will once again encompass most of the Loudoun Street Mall including The Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum lawn and the Taylor Pavilion. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample German-inspired food, beers, and global wine while experiencing different aspects of the German culture.
Oyster & Sausage Oktoberfest - Chantilly, VA - Sep 16, 2023
Think savory sausages sizzling on the grill, plump oysters freshly shucked, and a variety of craft beers that’ll have your taste buds dancing the polka all day long!
Fort Belvoir Oktoberfest - Fort Belvoir, VA - Sep 29 to Oct 2, 2022
This annual Oktoberfest is a four day festival of German food, beer, music and dancing. Includes 10K walk and 5K challenge, carnival, kinder korner kids activity area, 21+ beer tent, Mr. & Mrs. Oktoberfest contest and more.
Arlington Valley Fest - Arlington, VA - Sep 25, 2022
2023 Update: Host New District Brewing has shut down permanently, so we’re not sure this event is coming back …Family-friendly event with art music and KidZone (all free) plus food and dessert trucks for purchases. Beer packages are $22 and include souvenir mug and drink tickets. Replaces Capitol City Oktoberfest, and is presented by New District Brewing Company.
OktoBEERfest Dinner at Lake Anne Brew House - Reston, VA - Sep 25, 2022
Oktoberfest-themed dinner at Lake Anne Brew House. Your ticket includes a three-course plated traditional German meal, plus an authentic German stoneware stein filled with 40 ounces of beer!
Oktoberfest at Farm Brew Live - Manassas, VA - Sep 23 to Sep 24, 2022
Come enjoy authentic German food, attire, and music!
Capital Ale House Oktoberfest - Fredericksburg, VA - Sep 23, 2022
For 2022, they’re teaming with Maymont on their BierGarten event but will not be hosting their normal event. See their facebook for event details. Normally: Capital Ale House will celebrate Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg with Virginia beers, German food, live music, German dancers and Kinderplatz with kids activities. $2 cover charge benefits a local charity. Families are welcome but parent/guardian must accompany those under 21.
Baltimore and Maryland
Das Best Oktoberfest - Timonium, MD - Oct 5, 2024
Multi-Cultural Festival and Oktoberfest - Columbia, MD - Oct 4 to Oct 6, 2024
Oktoberfest with beer garden on Friday night, and multi-cultural festival over the weekend.
OktoBEARfest - Baltimore, MD - Oct 21 to Oct 22, 2023
Enjoy unlimited sampling of 80+ seasonal brews, plus wine, seltzer, and cider sampling, live music, local vendors, and, of course, all-day admission to the Zoo.
Rotary Oktoberfest of Carroll County - Westminster, MD - Oct 7 to Oct 8, 2023
Fundraising event held by the four Rotary Clubs of Carroll County at Danele Shipley Memorial Arena. Enjoy family friendly activities and authentic German food, beer and live music. Plenty of contests including the Lederhosen & Dirndl competition, Chicken Dance contest and Polka Dance contest. There will be pumpkin painting, scarecrow making, face painting, magic shows, games and balloon sculpting for kids. Football tent ensures you don’t miss the action over the weekend. General admission is $10, with those wearing authentic German attire and children ages 10 and under free – or save $2 with 5 nonperishable donation for the animal rescue.
Old Stein Inn Oktoberfest - Edgewater, MD - Sep 17 to Nov 5, 2023
Oktoberfest kickoff party is 6-10 pm with German music on the accordian, food and more. Celebration continues select dates thereafter.
We hope you enjoy these celebrations of Oktoberfest. Let us know below which one you've headed to and which one you like the best!
We have added maps with the locations of each Oktoberfest. We may not have had the exact location for each Oktoberfest so in some instances we have placed the marker in the general vicinity of the Oktoberfest. Be sure to get specific directions from another source and do not solely rely on our map at the moment. We have also noticed that the markers may not show up on some mobile browsers. We will work to sort out this bug in the future.
Please confirm dates, locations and activities available at the Oktoberfest before going. That's one reason that we provide a website address when we find one. We attempt to ensure that the information for each Oktoberfest is accurate but there are bound to be a few errors. If you let us know when you find one, we will fix it. In some cases, we may link to last year's event when information for this year is not yet available. Do not be fooled.
The festivals listed range in size. Some events may have hundreds of thousands of attendees. Others may have only a handful. We're sorry that we don't have more information about attendance numbers at the moment. We will do our best to add this information as time goes on.
Professionalism varies as well. Some Oktoberfests are professional operations with large budgets. Others are local operations run by volunteers. Do your due diligence before making plans to attend so that you know what to expect. We will happily publish information about your experience with any Oktoberfest so that our visitors will be better informed in the future.
Some Oktoberfests are more family friendly than others. If you have small children, look for an Oktoberfest that has activities for kids. Other events start out with family friendly activities and become more adult oriented as it becomes later in the evening.
Not all Oktoberfest celebrations will be authentic German festival experiences. Some may simply be an excuse to drink rather than celebrate German heritage. Some may call themselves Oktoberfest but provide local or seasonal beer rather than authentic German Oktoberfest beer. Be sure to consider the type of celebration that you are looking to attend when you pick your Oktoberfest.
Activities offered at each Oktoberfest varies. Some activities that you may find are parades, keg tapping ceremony, beer gardens, Miss Oktoberfest or costume contests, stein holding contests, bratwurst eating contest, chicken dance, wiener races, keg toss, live German bands and local entertainment, polka dancing and fairground games. Some Oktoberfest events will just have beer and brats.
Please don't drink and drive. We want everyone to get home safe. Use a designated driver or take public transportation. Uber and Lyft often offer ride credits for new users.
We've got some other resources that would help you prepare for Oktoberfest as well. Read about the history of Oktoberfest. Learn about Oktoberfest beer. Find the words to Oktoberfest music. Plan your Oktoberfest outfit. And try cooking some of these Oktoberfest recipes.
Do you run one of the Oktoberfests listed? Feel free to send us additional information and we will add it. We apologize for any errors: send us corrections or updates if you find them! We also love to list new Oktoberfests, and have advertising solutions if you'd like to reach a wider audience.
More Fall Activities near Washington DC and Baltimore:
Apple Orchards
Baltimore Haunted Houses
Baltimore Ghost Tours
Baltimore Halloween Events
Washington DC Halloween Events
Thanksgiving in Baltimore
Thanksgiving in Washington DC.