Just about halfway through October, and the fall beers are going down easy. The cooler air makes the even cooler beer taste just right, and all you want to do is celebrate some great flavored suds. In Germany every year, this celebration is legendary, known as Oktoberfest. While understandably so, many people simply do not have the funds to make it overseas to Germany to pound beers and bratwurst with their German comrades, and left to only dreaming. Thankfully, the United States, has happily adopted this tradition, and cities across the nation put on their own versions, throughout the months of September and October. Although many of the large festivals have already passed, we are going to run through 3 great Oktoberfests still to happen during this beer guzzling season, and are not to be missed.
Leavenworth, WA- Head to the northwest during the first three weekends of October for a well rounded Oktoberfest where there is plenty of live German music on four great stages, European shops, an Oktoberfest marathon, and of course copious amounts of beer and bratwurst to satisfy the biggest gluttons. The green mountains provide the perfect backdrop for you to get in the mood to slug brews.
Tulsa, OK- This may seem like a surprising spot for an Oktoberfest celebration, but rest assured it is annually one of the best out there. Where the chicken dance was introduced to Americans, this Oktoberfest is also home to the world record for most people cranking out the chicken dance at once with over 34,000 dancers. Along with a wiener dog run, a beer barrel race, and a test to see who can hold down 34 ounces of beer the longest, there is no shortage of a activities to get knuckle deep into. The festival that USA Today included in its top 10 places to celebrate Oktoberfest in the world, the 20 plus food stands give you plenty of options to bust open that top button on your pants. If you love beer, unique celebrations, and enough food to feed a small African country, head to Tulsa from October 20th-23rd.
Lake Worth, FL- The second and third weeks of October in Lake Worth, FL turns into a great Oktoberfest party. Spreading out over 10 acres, 30,000 visitors indulge in a full carnival packed with free-flowing imported German beer. Tell me you can’t get a little wild with that combination. The Bavarian barbecue pork at this festival is out of this world, and this is an event you will talk about for a while. Plus, who doesn’t want to be in Florida in October, hammering German beers especially?
