October 2008

September 20-October 5: Munich Oktoberfest

Location: Theresienwiese, Munich, Germany
Highlights: The world's biggest beer festival...need we say more?

September 26-October 4: Oktoberfest, USA

Location: Various locations, La Crosse, WI
Highlights: Tapping of the "Golden Keg," German food and entertainment; a variety of activities including a lederhosen luncheon, the honorary royal family, a torchlight parade, and games and contests.

September 27-October 12: Cannstatt Beer Festival

Location: Canstatt Wasen, Stuttgart, Germany
Highlights: Billed as the world’s largest folk festival; features beer tents along with a Black Forest Experience tent, amusement rides, and laser shows and fireworks.

October 2-5: Oktoberfest By the Bay

Location: Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA
Produced By: American Showplace Productions, in association with the United German-American Societies of San Francisco and Vicinity
Highlights: German food and drink; music by the Chico Bavarian Band and other performers; singing and dancing; special offers (TBA) on the festival website.

October 2-5: Singapore Beer Festival

Location: Fort Canning Park, Singapore
Organized By: EBS
Highlights: A trade and public event with more than 300 beers from around the world; entertainment including live music and stand-up comics; festival will be in conjunction with the world's first nighttime Formula 1 race.

October 3-5: Fredricksburg Oktoberfest

Location: Downtown Fredricksburg, TX
Sponsored By: Pedernales Creative Arts Alliance
Highlights: Beer tent, continuous music from 30 bands on two stages, artist's tent, German and Mexican food, children's activities.

October 3-4, 10-11, and 17-18 Leavenworth Oktoberfest

Location: Leavenworth, WA
Presented By: Projekt Bayern
Highlights: Bavarian-style celebration with a traditional biergarten, German food, musical entertainment from Germany and America, and family activities.

October 3-4: Old Town Oktoberfest

Location: Corner of Turner and Grand River Avenue, Lansing, MI
Presented By: Old Town Main Street
Highlights: Mid-Michigan's only Oktoberfest, featuring Oktoberfest and other German-style beer, traditional food, and polka music.

October 3-5: Soulard Oktoberfest

Location: Soulard Market, St. Louis, MO
Highlights: A wide variety of German and domestic beer; German food; entertainment by more than 30 performers; the world's largest bratwurst; Sunday German Mass; free admission to festival grounds.

October 4: Fresh Hop Ale Festival

Location: Millennium Arts Plaza, Yakima, WA
Benefit For: Allied Arts of Yakima Valley
Highlights: Fifth annual event; beer from 12 area craft breweries, all brewed using "wet" Yakima hops, which went from the vine to the vat within 24 hours; music by two bands, with dancing; food, wine, and cigar tent; homebrew contest (new this year); Brewers' Dinners at local restaurants the evening before the festival.

October 4: Germantown Oktoberfest

Location: Ridge Road Park, Germantown, MD
Benefit For: Local charities
Highlights: Oktoberfest biergarten, live music, games for children, exhibits by local craftspeople and businesses, fireworks display.

October 4: Kennett Brewfest

Location: Downtown Kennett Square, PA
Benefit For: Historic Kennett Square
Highlights:Beer from more than 40 regional microbreweries; food and live music; special connoisseur tasting, featuring rare and unusual beers, before the main tasting session.

October 4: World Beer Festival - Durham

Location: Historic Durham Athletic Park, Durham, NC
Presented By: All About Beer Magazine
Highlights: Two tasting sessions, featuring beer from more than 150 world-class breweries; cask and barrel tent; special events and tastings; food from local restaurants; live music; children's entertainment; proceeds benefit the Carolina Theatre and Pop the Cap.

October 7, 14, 21, and 28: Stoudt's Oktoberfest

Location: Stoudt's Brewing Company, Adamstown, PA
Highlights: A family event, held in the Gemutlichkeit Bier Garden; live German music and dancing; authentic German food, including apple sausage, slow roasted saurkraut, and giant soft pretzels; and cheeses, and Stoudt's award-winning microbrews.

October 8-11: Bedford Beer & Cider Festival

Location: Corn Exchange, Bedford, England
Organized By: North Bedfordshire Branch, Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: More than 110 cask-conditioned ales, plus more than 30 traditional ciders and perries and draft and bottled foreign specialty beers; hot and cold food; live music; clothing and gifts; tombola and shut the box.

October 9-11: Great American Beer Festival

Location: Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO
Organized By: Association of Brewers
Highlights: America's largest beer festival, with nearly 1,900 beers from more than 400 breweries on the festival floor; three regular sessions plus Saturday connoisseur session; beer competition, with nearly 500 breweries competing in 75 categories; food and beer demonstrations; live entertainment.

October 10-11: Hartlepool Beer Festival

Location: Hartlepool Borough Hall, Hartlepool, England
Organized By: Hartlepool Round Table
Highlights: More than 60 beers, ales, and ciders.

October 10-12: Hickory Oktoberfest

Location: Downtown Hickory, NC
Highlights: German beer garden, with oom-pah band; music by local, regional, national performers; craftspeople; kids' festival.

October 10-18: Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest

Location: Various locations, Kitchener and Waterloo, ON, Canada
Highlights: Billed as the largest Oktoberfest celebration outside Germany, now in its 40th year; 15 festhallen, featuring German food and entertainment; Canadian Thanksgiving Day parade and more than 40 family and cultural events.

October 11: Bramwell Oktoberfest

Location: Bramwell, WV (near I-77 and the Virginia border)
Highlights: Bramwell Cup competition, with the jury led by author and beer traveler Owen Ogletree; craft beer and fine food sampling; live music, including traditional folk, blues, bluegrass and alternative artists; guided outdoor tours of the "Millionaire's Row" historic district.

October 11: Knoxville Brewers' Jam

Location: Performance Lawn, World's Fair Park, Knoxville, TN
Benefit For: Community Shares of Tennessee
Highlights: Beer from more than 30 American craft breweries; food and live music.

October 11-13: Newport International Oktoberfest

Location: Yachting Center, Newport, RI
Highlights: Biergarten and Weingarten; Bavarian music played by performers from throughout New England; traditional German food and American cuisine (seafood, pierogies and more); children's are; shopping marketplace and German-related goods for sale.

October 16-19: Tulsa Oktoberfest

Location: West Bank of the Arkansas River, Tulsa, OK
Highlights: Bands from Germany, Austria, and the United States; 20 food locations; activities for kids and families; carnival rides; European arts, crafts, and souvenirs.

October 16-17: Big Red Beer Festival

Location: Bloomington Convention Center, Bloomington, IN
Presented By: Big Red Liquors
Highlights: Two evening tasting sessions, with more than 300 craft-brewed and imported beers (list TBA on the festival website).

October 18 and 25: Diksmuide Beer Festival

Location: Grote Markt (Central Marketplace), Diksmuide, Belgium
Highlights: Festival has been held for more than 40 years; large decorated beer tent, with special festival beers (this year's featured beer is Oerbier, a strong ale brewed in Essen); Oktoberfest-style oom-pah band; free parking in front of the beer hall.

October 18: Great Eastern Invitational Microbrewery Festival

Location: Brewery Hall, Stoudts Brewery, Adamstown, PA
Highlights: Two tasting sessions, with more than 50 microbrewed beers from around the country; Ed Stoudt's "Best of the Wurst" German-style buffet; live entertainment; complimentary shuttle service from local motels.

October 18: Maryland Brewer's Oktoberfest

Location: Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD
Presented By: Brewers Association of Maryland
Highlights: "Bier ist Gut!" A family-themed event, with more than 70 different Maryland craft-brewed beers; a biergarten with traditional German food; arts, crafts, and games; and a variety of live music on two stages.

October 18: Newtown Brewfest

Location: The Stocking Works Complex, downtown Newtown, PA
Organized By: Branch, Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: Beer from more than 80 breweries (this year's list TBA); food and live music; special pre-festival connoisseur tasting, featuring hard-to-find beers, brewers in attendance, and complimentary hors d'oeuveres buffet.

October 18: Santa Barbara Beer Festival

Location: Elings Park, Santa Barbara, CA
Benefit For: Elings Park
Highlights: Beer from breweries from across California; food and entertainment. More details about this year's festival will be posted on the Elings Park website.

October 18: Wisconsin Dells on Tap

Location: Festival Grounds, Wisconsin Dells, WI
Highlights: "One of the Midwest's premier microbrew beer tasting events"; last year's festival featured beer, including select fall offerings, from more than 25 Wisconsin microbreweries; beer festival is part of the annual Wisconsin Dells Harvest Fest. More details about this event will be posted on the festival website.

October 24: Brewfest

Location: KI Convention Center, Green Bay, WI
Benefit For: Bay Area Humane Society
Highlights: A wide variety of beer from Wisconsin and surrounding states, food and local wine, and a silent auction.

October 24-25: Worthing Beer Festival

Location: Richmond Rooms, Stoke Abbot Road, Worthing, England
Organized By: Arun & Adur Branch, Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: Last year's festival featured 50 Real Ales and Real Ciders from small independent and microbreweries, food at all sessions, and live music on Friday evening. More details of this year's festival will be posted on the branch's website.

October 24-26: PINT Bokbierfestival

Location: Beurs van Berlage (Old Stock Exchange), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Organized By: PINT, the Dutch beer enthusiasts’ organization
Highlights: Around 50 Dutch and Belgian bokbiers (a variation of German bock beer but served in the fall); food and musical entertainment. Website is in Dutch only.

October 27-November 1: Norwich Beer Festival

Location: St. Andrew's and Blackfriars' Halls, Norwich England
Organized By: Norwich & Norfolk Branch, Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: More than 200 cask-conditioned Real Ales from Britain's independent brewers, along with draft and bottled beers from Continental Europe; festival will also incorporate the 10th Cider & Perry Exhibition, with over 25 varieties from East Anglia and the West Country; live entertainment and "Beer of the Festival" voting.

October 30-November 1 (provisional dates): Redhill Beer Festival

Location: Merstham Village Hall, Merstham, England
Organized By: East and Mid-Surrey Branch, Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: More than 50 beers of varied styles and strengths, with a good representation from local microbreweries; half a dozen ciders and perries; cold food at all sessions; this year's theme TBA on festival website.

October 31-November 1: Poole Beer Festival

Location: St Aldhelms Centre, Branksome, England
Organized By: East Dorset Branch, Campaign for Real Ale
Highlights: Last year's festival featured more than 85 Real Ales, plus ciders, perries, and foreign beers; snacks; and live entertainment Friday evening and at both Saturday sessions. More details of this year's festival will be posted on the branch's website.