DON’T MISS OUT ON THESE BEER AND BRATS FILLED FESTIVALS!
Summer is winding to a close, and in Seattle the summers come and go in the blink of an eye. With fall around the corner, it’s time to prepare for some fall fun. Oktoberfest in the Puget Sound is a really fun experience you otherwise wouldn’t expect. There are a lot of different communities celebrating Oktoberfest, each with their own spin, and you want to make sure you fit them in your schedule!
KIRKLAND OKTOBERFEST
Kirkland Oktoberfest, guaranteed to get you plastered, and all for a good cause. The proceeds from this event goes 100% towards charity, an added bonus to enjoy fun competitions, drink some traditional German biers and local breweries, and eat some delicious food. The Kirkland Oktoberfest, is what you’d expect from an Oktoberfest, but with a strong twist of the Pacific Northwest. On the shores of Lake Washington, they’ll be traditional experiences like stein-hoisting and keg rolling, but also some uniquely PNW events like weiner dog races, human foosball, and DJ dance party in the evening. Mark your calendars for September 20-22nd, and get your tickets for entry all weekend long and beer tickets to get you started.
FREMONT OKTOBERFEST
Fremont Oktoberfest is a busy bustling harvest festival that attracts a ton of local Seattleites to the center of the universe, according to the sign in the middle of downtown Fremont. Be warned! This is a crowd. It’s a very large and DENSE crowd. If you’re not a crowd person, you would be more frustrated waiting 45 minutes in line for your first pour than enjoying the unique events and contests going on throughout the festival grounds. You can expect to see things like the Texas Chainsaw Pumpkin Carving Contest where pumpkin guts fly all over the place. You’ll find many people sporting ‘German’ costumes that will make your head tilt, but it’s all fun anyway!
Sunday is ‘Dogtoberfest’ where you can bring your four legged friends to the festivities. Watch Seattle FlyDogs race through obstacles, signup your doggie for a chance to be on the cover of City Dog Magazine, or chill with your best gameday buddy for the Seahawks game at Fremont Studios.
Remember, Fremont is already a dense neighborhood and Oktoberfest brings in a HUGE crowd. So expect little parking and make sure you plan accordingly. Otherwise, this event can easily turn into a nightmare.
Don’t forget to get your tickets for one day passes to Fremont Oktoberfest and included tasting tokens.
OKTOBERFEST NORTHWEST 2019
The 15th Annual Oktoberfest Northwest is also just around the corner, and this one falls a little bit later in the harvest festival calendars. From October 4th to the 6th the Washington State Fair Events Center in Puyallup turns into Washington’s largest Munich-style Oktoberfest celebration. German biers, brats, live polka and folk music, and the famous Hammerschlagen. What’s Hammerschlagen? It’s a game where the goal is to hammer a nail into a cross section of wood faster than your opponent. Sounds easy? Not so much when you’re a couple steins down. It’s the best entertainment while drinking a pint of bier in one hand and a salty pretzel in the other. Unlike many Oktoberfests around the Puget Sound, Oktoberfest Northwest is family friendly, up to 6pm on Friday and Saturday, and all day Sunday. Children 12 and under are free, and did we mention that Sunday is half off? Make sure to get your early bird tickets with some great stein and food packages available.
LEAVENWORTH OKTOBERFEST
Leavenworth, the picturesque Bavarian town tucked in the Cascades, as you may suspect celebrates Oktoberfest religiously. Every weekend in October Leavenworth transforms from a quaint town to a large, loud, party bringing in a crowd from all over Washington as well as out of state party goers. Bier, sausages, traditional keg popping, and live music from the US, Canada, and Germany. Downtown Leavenworth is quite small, so parking can be a challenge. Thankfully, there is a free shuttle service around the town during festivities. For the drive, it may make sense (and definitely a safe option) to book a room at one of the many resorts and hotels around the area. But we warned, they get booked up really fast especially for Oktoberfest partygoers.
Good German food can be found all around Leavenworth, but the one to make sure to have on your todo list is Baren Haus. With great online reviews, it’s worth visiting while you’re in Leavenworth. What’s really worth the wait is to find an Oktoberfest tent where you can grab a delicious brat. As with Bavarian tradition, you’ll leave Leavenworth with a full belly and a happy smile. Grab your tickets for Leavenworth Oktoberfest and lodging accommodations for an escape to Munich, well almost.
CONCLUSION
Oktoberfest is more than just delicious bier and brats. With events from the beginning of fall all the way through October, you can feel Bavarian for over a month straight! The Pacific Northwest is home to over one million German descendants, and when it’s their time to celebrate, they know how to have bier and brat filled fun. Now that the summer is passing us by, it’s time to prepare our Bavarian-inspired lederhosen and enjoy endless food and music that properly celebrates the harvest season.
