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Where to celebrate Oktoberfest 2024 in Greater Boston
From beer releases and Bavarian food to contests and dog shows, there's something for everyone this Oktoberfest in Boston. Prost!
This one is for the beer-drinkers, the pretzel-eaters, the lederhosen-wearers, and the fierce stein-holding competitors: Oktoberfest, the celebration of German beer, is here, and you don’t even have to go to Munich to party.
You’ll find plenty of brews, pretzels, and Oompah music abound at several Greater Boston Oktoberfest events. Also a plus for Boston-area festival-goers: Our fest season technically runs longer than it does in Bavaria.
So get ready to show off your hoisting skills, but especially your beer-drinking abilities, from now until October, at any of the below events:
Greater Boston Oktoberfest events
Idle Hands Craft Ales Oktoberfest
One of Boston’s original brewing companies, Idle Hands Craft Ales, is known for excellent renditions of classic beers — lagers included. The Malden brewery celebrates its own anniversary in conjunction with Oktoberfest, and the two-for party returns Saturday, Sept. 14, from noon until 10 p.m. There will be a celebrity dunk tank to raise funds for Housing Families. Festival food will include Scott Brothers BBQ and Lionheart Confections. Join in on some polka dancing with tunes from The Beer Hall Boys, or enjoy live music from Norris the Terrible. Try your hand at a stein-hoisting competition, or buy their limited edition stein commemorating this brewery’s 13th anniversary, available now for pre-order. Pro-tip: Being one of the first 50 people to volunteer for a Malden neighborhood clean-up the morning of the festivities will get you into the event for free.
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89 Commercial St., Malden
Time Out Market Oktoberfest
Fenway food hall Time Out Market hosts its Oktoberfest event once again on Saturday, Sept. 21, from noon to 5 p.m. On draft you’ll find New England craft beers, and the food hall’s several vendors are cooking up Oktoberfest-inspired dishes. There will also be a pop-up pretzel stand, photo booth, live DJ, and of course a stein-hoisting competition. Sampling brews is free, though food and full-size beer will be available for purchase.
401 Park Drive, Fenway-Kenmore
Dorchester Brewing Co. Oktoberfest
Get ready for two weekends of Festbier at Dorchester Brewing Co., which celebrates Oktoberfest Sept. 14 and 21. The first Saturday features event-exclusive flights of beer, full liter pours, sweet treats from Donut King, live music, and two competitions: one for stein-holding and another for eating brats. The next week includes much of the same, plus food specials from M&M BBQ, a pastry pop-up, and some adorable fur-friend guests thanks to the Pups & Pints Dog Adoption Event. And if you need more dog interactions in your life, look no further than Dorchester Brewing’s Dogtoberfest on Sept. 15, when you and your pooch can get professional family portraits made.
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1250 Massachusetts Ave., Dorchester
Trillium Brewing Oktoberfest
All three of Trillium Brewing’s locations and the Greenway beer garden have something in store for Oktoberfest. Find the bigger festivities at the Canton and Fort Point locations with menu specials, the Taqueria el Barrio food truck, a live DJ, and other activities for the family. Trillium is also hosting some friendly competitions — for costume, lederhosen and dirndl, and of course a stein-holding competition. At the Fenway and Greenway locations, you’ll find festive steins, shirts, and Oktoberfest brews. No matter which event you go to, it’s free.
Multiple locations
Notch Brewing Oktoberfest
At its relaxed beer halls in Salem and Brighton, Notch Brewing gives European vibes all year long with long tables for gathering ’round, thoughtful food and music, and easy-to-love classic beer styles. So it’s no surprise that Notch’s annual Oktoberfest celebration is one of the best around. It returns to Brighton on Saturday, Sept. 14, and to Salem on Sunday, Sept. 15. Both events are free to attend, with a commemorative half-liter steinkrug available for $20 in which to enjoy your beers. TubaFrau Hofbräu Band is slated to perform both days, and there will be plenty of Bavarian bites to fuel up and pair with a lager. For the competitive festival goers, there are plenty of opportunities to show off your Oktoberfest skills, including a dirndl and lederhosen costume contest, pretzel-eating contest, and stein-hoisting competitions.
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283R Derby St., Salem; 525 Western Ave., Brighton
Samuel Adams Octoberfest
Why go to one Oktoberfest event when you could drink double the beer, eat twice the amount of pretzels, and compete in multiple stein-hoisting competitions? This year both Samuel Adams locations are hosting “Octoberfest” events on separate weekends, and the “2 Sams, 2 Fest ticket deal for $30 will get you into both. First up is the Faneuil Hall taproom’s event from Sept. 20 to 22, complete with live music, multiple stein-hoisting contests, fest plate food specials, beer releases, and Octoberfest swag. Then next weekend, from Sept. 27 to 29, head on over to their Jamaica Plain brewery for a Taste Through Germany food experience and lawn games, along with all the usual Oktoberfest activities. Ticket prices range from $10 to $30.
60 State St., Downtown; 30 Germania St., Jamaica Plain
Common Craft Oktoberfest
At Burlington’s Common Craft, a one-stop shop for Zero Gravity and Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing Co. taprooms, a Deacon Giles Distillery cocktail bar, a creative kitchen, and more, Oktoberfest is on Saturday, Sept. 21, and Sunday, Sept. 22. The Hofbrau Hotshots will be on site playing live Oompa music, plus there will be German food, a costume contest, traditional Oktoberfest games, and some special beers for the multi-day celebration.
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75 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington
Night Shift Brewing Oktoberfest
Get your drinking arm ready and head on over to a Night Shift Brewing taproom or beer garden of your choice the weekend of Sept. 27 to 29. This beer holiday kicks off at their beer garden locations — on the Esplanade, in Allston, and at the Greenway — on Friday. Enjoy live music from the Hofbrau Band, grab a pretzel from One Might Mill, and enjoy a little treat from Far Out Ice Cream at the Everett location Saturday, which will also host a stein-hoisting competition. Then on Sunday, bring your lederhosen to Lovejoy Wharf, where the taproom will have typical Oktoberfest activities and a special food menu.
Multiple locations
Harpoon Brewery Octoberfest
Harpoon Brewery hosts its 34th annual Octoberfest on Friday, Oct. 4, and Saturday, Oct. 5. The largest celebration of the year at Harpoon’s Seaport taproom, the event goes beyond stein-hoisting competitions, holding pretzel eating contests and chicken dancing. The event takes place under open-air tents, with limited seating available. On Sunday, Oct. 6, Dogtoberfest returns to Harpoon, welcoming dogs to the taproom and raising funds for the Kenary Brain Tumor Research Fund at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and MSPCA–Angell.
306 Northern Ave., Seaport
Aeronaut Brewing Oktoberfest
On Saturday, Sept. 28, Aeronaut hosts its Oktoberfest celebration at Aeronaut Allston, their beer garden location at Zone 3 on Western Ave. The event runs from 1 to 9 p.m. and features Oktoberfest bites like pretzels from Swissbakers and other grub from Hungry Nomads. They’ll also host a stein-hoisting competition and live music performances by Hofbräu Spieler Band, and they’ll be serving up their festival Märzen brew.
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267 Western Ave., Allston
Harvard Square Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest returns to Harvard Square on Sunday, Oct. 6, in conjunction with Somerville’s HONK! Festival that parades from Davis Square to Harvard. The fest is a sort of outdoor-street-festival-meets-Oktoberfest, with plenty of international food vendors, artisan and craft vendors, live music, and festive beer gardens throughout the square. You’ll find brats and brews alongside Asian and Latin American cuisines, and the event’s rain date is Oct. 13.
Harvard Square, Cambridge
Oktoberfest around New England
Belleflower Brewing Oktoberfest
Portland, Maine, destination Belleflower Brewing is bringing back its annual Bellefest this year on Saturday, Sept. 21. Revelers will get a taste of the traditional Bellefest Beer, and they can grab a bite at Ironclad Eats and Vintage Dogs.
66 Cove St., Portland, Maine
Narragansett Brewery Oktoberfest
Make a weekend of it in Providence at Narragansett Brewery. A series of ticketed Oktoberfest events on Friday, Oct. 4, through Sunday, Oct. 6, will feature live music by Tuba Frau and Bavarian Bros, stein-hoisting contests, and more. General admission tickets include a glass stein and a beer token, plus access to an Oktoberfest food menu during a designated session.
271 Tockwotton St., Providence, Rhode Island
Oktoberfest Massachusetts
Oktoberfest Massachusetts returns to Hadley this year on Saturday, Oct. 19, from noon to 5 p.m. The 21+ music festival-style celebration at the Club and Pavilion, formerly known as the Young Men’s Club of Hadley, includes live music with a full concert setup along with lawn games, lots of food vendors, and multiple bars. While the event expects to welcome over 2,000 attendees this year, there’s no parking on-site — guests are encouraged to arrive via shuttle, taxi, or rideshare.
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138 East St., Hadley
Wachusett Mountain Oktoberfest
The annual Oktoberfest returns to Wachusett Mountain on Saturday, Oct. 5, and Sunday, Oct. 6. The all-ages event features beer garden bites, a keg toss, the opportunity to take a chairlift ride, and plenty of authentic German beer. Admission tickets are required, starting at $6 for kids ages 6 to 12 and $9 for adults. Children five and under are free.
499 Mountain Rd., Princeton
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