Oktoberfest in Minnesota 2024
Lots of beer, brats and oompah music will await those celebrating their German heritage at a Minnesota Oktoberfest this fall. In September and October 2024, these German beer festivals will be a popular destination for the nearly 2 million people in Minnesota who claim ancestry from Germany. With festivals spanning the state from New Ulm to Duluth, and several Minneapolis Oktoberfest options as well, we hope you are able to find one that you are able to attend.
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!
2024 Events
Pierz Oktoberfest - Pierz, MN - Aug 25, 2024
Organized by the Pierz Lions Club, it is generally held on the last Sunday in August unless it falls directly before Labor Day. Start the day with the fun run at Pierz Healy High School for a 2 mile or 5K run for the whole family. Parade generally starts around 11 AM. Following the parade, they hold a festival in the park which includes petting zoo, exotic animals, inflatables, bingo and children’s game. Purchase and wear their button to win one of the prizes in their giveaways. There are also brats & kraut, kettle corn, homemade pie and beer garden. Free shuttle bus transportion to the park from various parking lots – no unauthorized vehicles are allowed on Park Ave near the park. Related events take place for the week prior to the event. On Saturday night, for example, there will be a concert and fireworks. And don’t miss their famous Medallion Hunt, with a $500 award to the winner.
Duluth Oktoberfestival - Duluth, MN - Sep 13 to Sep 15, 2024
Das Zelt (tent) with beer and food, arts & crafts, children’s activities and more!
St. Paul Oktoberfest - St. Paul, MN - Sep 13 to Sep 14, 2024
The annual Saint Paul Oktoberfest will have German food, beer, and culture
Longville Oktoberfest - Longville, MN - Sep 14, 2024
Downtown Longville will have a German beer garden with music, arts and crafts on Saturday from 11 AM to 2 PM. The Longville Fire Hall will follow from 5-11 PM with its Oktoberfest Dinner Dance. Enjoy Friday nights karaoke entertainment and dinner specials at the Anchorage Inn.
Delano Oktoberfest - Delano, MN - Sep 20 to Sep 21, 2024
The tents will go up at Delano Central Park! Oktoberfest beers, food, and music.
Gasthof Oktoberfest - Minneapolis, MN - Sep 20 to Sep 28, 2024
Weekends at Fulton’s Taproom.. A Bavarian bar and eatery in Minneapolis that pitches a massive tent and brings in the picnic tables for a celebration of Germany. Draft beer (bring your own stein or buy one there), and food for purchase There will be live polka music and dancing, too.
Minneapolis Club Oktoberfest - Minneapolis, MN - Sep 24, 2024
Minnesota Renaissance Fest Oktoberfest Weekend - Shakopee, MN - Sep 27 to Sep 29, 2024
Oktoberfest weekend at the Ren Fest includes bier pong, plus contests for the best beard, lederhosen and dirndl, sauerkraut eating, stein hoisting, dachsund races; and more!
Twin Cities Oktoberfest - Falcon Heights, MN - Oct 4 to Oct 5, 2024
This Minneapolis-St. Paul Oktoberfest provides two days of live music, dancers, games, authentic German food and a wide range of beer, including multiple varieties of Marzen style beer. The event is held at the historic Progress Center of the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
New Ulm Oktoberfest - New Ulm, MN - Oct 4 to Oct 12, 2024
This annual Minnesota Oktoberfest will take place at four locations in New Ulm on the first two weekends in October (Friday and Saturday). The four locations are the Best Western Plus, Downtown New Ulm, Morgan Creek Vineyards and Schell’s Brewery. This has been ranked one of the top 25 events in Minnesota for many years. The Best Western Plus has two indoor band stage areas with German-style polka and bands playing party favorites for dancing. Downtown activities include horse-drawn trolley rides, hometown bands and tours of various buildings including the John Lind House, Hermann Monument, Schell’s Brewery and the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame. Don’t miss the 45 foot Musical Glockenspiel which is setup in the downtown area. Morgan Creek Vineyards generally has a Grape Stomp on the first Saturday of the festival.
Gull Lake Oktoberfest Pub Crawl - Gull Lake, MN - Oct 5, 2024
Free shuttle service between locations, commemorative mugs and lots of great food and music are all part of the event.
Pelican Rapids Oktoberfest - Pelican Rapids, MN - Oct 11 to Oct 12, 2024
Be sure not to miss the lead up events, including the search for the Oktoberfest medallions and hunt for Mr & Ms Oktoberfest If you can solve the clues, you win a prize of Pelican Bucks. In the past, Thursday events have included the crowning of Mr. & Ms. Oktoberfest, open house at the fire department with light supper served, bingo at the VFW, and a wine & beer tasting with live music. Friday has held the largest pumpkin contest, chainsaw sculpting, more bingo and a salute to the troops with live music at the VFW. Saturday included the Lions pancake breakfast, 5K and 10K run, farmer’s market and food court at the Pelican Rapids Fire Hall, pinochle tournament, live auction and more. Kids events included hay rides, pumpkin decorating and games at the PR Fire Hall. Or participate in the VolksMarch Walk for 11K. On Sunday, enjoy the “best of the wurst†sausage & beer sampling as well as the old-fashioned polka party. Proceeds go toward community beautification projects. Pelican Rapids is located in western Otter Tail County.
Schell’s Oktoberfest - New Ulm, MN - Oct 12, 2024
Between 11 am and 5 pm, enjoy German food, dancing, music and plenty of Schell’s Oktoberfest beer inside the beer tent. Lots of fun activities for kids. Tickets are $10, kids free – tickets sold at the gate, and a portion of proceeds will be donated. Schell’s is America’s second oldest family owned brewery, started in 1860 by August Schell. It survived Prohibition and has been passed down through six generations of the family. They make German craft beer. In 2013, their Oktoberfest beer took home a bronze medal in the American-Style Lager category at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. Since most Germans don’t celebrate Oktoberfest for just one day, they even remind you to check out New Ulm’s Oktoberfest downtown, which takes place the weekend before and the same weekend as theirs.
Ruttgers Oktoberfest - Deerwood, MN - Oct 18 to Oct 19, 2024
The Oktoberfest will have breakfast buffets, dinner shows, an arts & crafts fair with over 150 vendors, kids activities and polka dancing. Live music and entertainment will happen in two tents and there will be children’s activities in the Kids’ Kamp building. Eat dinner at the buffet featuring German music and end the evening with a free admission polka dance. Held at Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge, which has been inviting guests to the lake and their resort for five generations of the Ruttger family since it opened in 1898.
If you want to see what is happening in surrounding states, take a look at Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
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Past Events
Utepils Oktoberfest - Minneapolis, MN - Sep 15 to Sep 23, 2023
Friday and Saturday two weeks in a row. They are going to have a mass vow renewal ceremony as part of the Oktoberfest revelries, as well as music, games, great food and beer.
Black Forest Inn Oktoberfest - Minneapolis, MN - Sep 23, 2022
Ten days of alphorns, live music, food and beer, and more!
Gluek’s Bar and Restaurant Oktoberfest - Minneapolis, MN - Sep 23 to Oct 8, 2022
Live music as the Golden Keg is tapped on 9/26 and festivities begin! Free Oktoberfest appetizers, a pint from the Golden Keg, and live polka music, and a closing party on 10/24 with specials, drawings, and a surprise giveaway. In between, enjoy an exclusive traditional Oktoberfest menu, daily specials, and a variety of Oktoberfest beers – and get a FREE giant pretzel for group reservations of 12+ during Oktoberfest!
Blue Moose Oktoberfest - East Grand Forks, MN - Sep 17, 2022
The biggest celebration of beer in the Valley! Weiner dog races, free beer tastings, stein holding competitions, a pretzel toss, German food and a HUGE selection of Oktoberfest beers are all on tap for the outdoor Oktoberfest celebration at The Blue Moose Bar and Grill! Bring the family as this event is family friendly with lots of games for the kids too!
Oktoberfest Pub Crawl - Grand Forks, MN - Sep 17, 2022
Visit Downtown Grand Forks on Saturday for the second annual Downtown Oktoberfest Pub Crawl! 2-10 PM. Up to 13 participating locations.
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.
Find other fun things to do in Minnesota in fall:
Minnesota Festivals
Minnesota Corn Mazes
Minnesota Ghost Tours
Haunted Houses in Minnesota
Minnesota Pumpkin Patches
I would like the schedule for Oktoberfest in MN for 2013.
Thanks for the great info !
Is there any fun October Fests near Faribault and/or New Prague areas that would have a Polka band and beer during the 1st two weeks in October?