Where to celebrate Oktoberfest 2026 in Los Angeles

This Highland Park biergarten is hosting its second annual Oktoberfest shindig, transforming the space into a Bavarian beer hall. The sister to Wirtshaus and Rasselbock already serves standout sausages and schnitzel year-round (including veggie options), but every Friday and Saturday through Halloween, you can also enjoy food and drink specials, live music, stein-holding contests and more.

Every weekend through October 24, this Venice gastropub is throwing a Bavarian celebration with lederhosen and finger-licking fare. Dive into a savory rattlesnake and rabbit hot link topped with onions and peppers, choose from a selection of German and Belgian beers on draft, and enjoy yodeling and live German music. The best part? Each ticket (with noon or 5pm start times on Saturdays and 2pm start times on Sundays) includes a Wurstküche beer stein, with the first fill-up included. Entry isn’t cheap ($72 and up), but the seatings regularly sell out.

If you’ve had your fill of Oktoberfest fare, you can swap out giant pretzels for dumplings at the returning Dumpling & Beer Fest at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse. General admission, live entertainment (think K-pop and a dance party) and carnival games are free. Beer garden tickets include unlimited tastings from participating breweries and exclusive access to special pours. Meanwhile, dumpling vendors and assorted food trucks will be on hand to sell an array of fried and steamed dumplings—in fact, nine SoCal dumpling makers will compete live in the inaugural JoySauce Dumpling Bowl. 

Santa Monica’s shopping and dining stretch is hosting its own free Oktoberfest festivities on October 3, with live polka music from Die Sauerkrauts, German food, beer, stein-hoisting and best-dressed contests and family-friendly fun—though adults will have fun strolling through the Santa Monica Entertainment Zone with a commemorative Oktoberfest stein, which you can get for free (while supplies last) when you buy a beer from 1212, Ugo, Cabo Cantina, Casa Martin, Holey Moley or Barney’s Beanery on the promenade.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles is behind this pet-centric Oktoberfest event at Los Angeles Ale Works’ outpost in Hawthorne, complete with steins of beer, food, games, prizes and, of course, adoptable pups. Your own four-legged friend (on a leash) is welcome, too. And 20% of the afternoon’s proceeds will be donated to spcaLA.

Held over two weekends (Oct 10–11, 17–18), this Oktoberfest celebration combines Santa Anita’s famous horse races with the best of the Bavarian fall festival, including stein-holding and costume contests, a corn hole competition, keg rolling, pretzels—and beer of course. Each general admission ticket includes a mini tasting stein and eight three-ounce beer tastings, as well as a $5 betting voucher, a tip sheet and access to open grandstand seating at the race track. A pricier VIP group ticket (with a three-person minimum) secures you picnic table seating and a $20 food voucher. 

South Coast Botanic Garden’s adorable dog-walking hours jump from a once-a-month treat to an every-weekend affair just during the month of October at Dogtoberfest. In addition to dog-friendly walking paths, the garden throws a bunch of Oktoberfest-style activities into the mix. For the humans, you’ll find beer stations along a Pup Crawl throughout the garden, as well as on the main lawn. That’s where you’ll find the bulk of the programming, too, including live music from Die Sauerkrauts, plus stein-holding, pretzel-tossing and yodeling contests. For the pups, expect training obstacles along the garden pathway and races on the lawn. As for the beer aspect, a VIP ticket gets you a flight of beer (or root beer) samples, a full-size beer, a pretzel necklace and a few other small perks. New this year is the dog VIP ticket, which comes with a free “dog beer” tasting (who knew that existed?), a treat, a photo of your pet and access to the VIP Top Dog Zone, complete with splash pads and doggie pools.

It feels like Oktoberfest all year round at Silver Lake’s long-running Red Lion Tavern, but it’s especially festive in the fall, when it celebrates the Bavarian tradition all the way through mid-November. Order the Oktoberfest platter—an epic array of pretzels, brats, schnitzel and sides—alongside a four-liter boot of beer. You’ll also find live music and stein-holding contests on select nights. Check the bar’s Instagram for programming updates.

The Bungalow at the oceanfront Fairmont Miramar Hotel is pairing Bavarian fun and beachy vibes at a weekend-long Oktoberfest celebration. Raise a stein of Paulaner or Hefeweizen beer by the sea, and feast on bratwurst, pretzels, käsespätzle, apple strudel and more. Also on offer: tunes from Festmeister Hans und Die Sauerkrauts, plus German pop music, comedy, classic folk games, and men and women’s stein-holding contests. Last year, adult entry was $20, but this year it’s free to get in.

Home of the Los Angeles County Fair, the Fairplex turns into a German wonderland for Oktoberfest every Friday and Saturday from October 2 to 17, complete with Bavarian music, beer, games and plenty of chicken dancing. Sink your teeth into bratwurst, knockwurst, pretzels and potato pancakes while knocking back authentic German suds at this 21-plus event with DJs, oompah outfits, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, Selena and Journey cover bands. 

Billing itself as “Orange County’s biggest party since 1977,” the Old World Oktoberfest promises enough beers, brats and bands to make you feel like you’re in Munich—albeit with better ocean views. Every Wednesday through Sunday between September 12 and November 8, this re-created Bavarian village will offer a sausage-filled menu, oompah and German bands, a biergarten, dancing and more. While Old World’s Oktoberfest is 21-plus with a cover charge on Friday and Saturday evenings, it’s open to families and revelers of all ages on Saturday afternoons and other nights. (Entry is free on Wednesday and Thursday nights, as well as Saturday afternoons, just book ahead online.)

Head to the mountains for the annual Oktoberfest at Big Bear Lake, where you’ll be able to clink steins every weekend from September to early November. Beer will be flowing, knockwursts will be cooked up, and dirndls will be worn. The entertainment lineup includes numerous bands—many straight from Germany—and other performances, and one lucky damsel will be named the Oktoberfest Queen when she wins the stein-carrying contest. Others can test their skills with free log-sawing, stein-holding and chugging competitions.

Held in the so-called Alps of Southern California, Lake Arrowhead’s all-ages Oktoberfest runs every weekend from September 19 to October 25 this year, hosting live German American oompah bands, “choke the chicken” (“like stein-holding but more fun”), dance contests, children’s games and a daily sausage toss. Although there’s no entry fee, attendees are advised to book picnic tables ($150 on Saturdays for up to eight people) or pub tables (four-seaters $75 and two-seaters $35 on Saturdays) to secure seats closer to the stage. On Sunday, tables are first-come, first-served. This year, the event is again being held in the picturesque Waterfront Park.