Say ‘Prost!’ at these 5 Oktoberfests in Virginia

Oktoberfest conjures images of revelers with beer steins, lederhosen, and giant pretzels. But the tradition started as a multiday wedding celebration: The first Oktoberfest took place in Munich in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Bavaria’s Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. It became an annual event, and in 1818 organizers added stalls for vendors to sell food and drinks. These stalls became plywood beer halls by the late 20th century.

1. Wheatland Spring Farm & Brewery, Waterford

September 16–17, 2023

This family-owned estate brewery in the Piedmont region is set on 30 acres of farmland, where owners Bonnie and John Branding—who lived in Munich for 5 years—grow or cultivate the herbs, grains, native yeast, and honey for their beer. During Oktoberfest, around 400 people show up each day to enjoy German games, food, and drinks.

2. Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton

September 29–October 9, 2023

This year marks the 15th annual Oktoberfest at Blue Mountain Brewery. The several-day event typically attracts 11,000 visitors to this scenic and relaxed farm/brewery in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Blue Mountain opened in 2007 as the first brewery in Nelson County, with the goal of creating craft beers outside of the typical urban environment. Their Oktoberfest features a German menu, weekend oompah music, specialty stein glasses, and unusual games like keg bowling and keg tossing.

3. Oktoberfest at the Frontier Culture Museum, Staunton

October 7, 2023

In addition to the usual festive music, beer, food, and entertainment, the Frontier Culture Museum’s annual Oktoberfest allows you to learn more about Virginia’s early German settlers and the state’s German ties. Learn how 18th-century Germans brewed beer and cooked for special occasions and how those traditions carried on in the U.S. Then, go experience it all at the festival, now in its 20th year.

“The Shenandoah Valley was shaped by people who came here from West Africa, England, Scotland, Ireland, and Germany. These distinct groups helped create the American culture we know today,” says Paige Hildebrand, director of events at the open-air museum.

4. The Brothers Craft Brewing Company, Harrisonburg

October 7, 2023

Family-owned The Brothers Craft Brewing Company started their Oktoberfest celebration in 2018 after Lil’ Hellion, their traditional German-style Helles lager, won best beer in the state from the Virginia Craft Brewers Guild and their Märzen Fest Bier became part of the regular fall rotation.

Each October, the taproom transforms into a Bavarian hall with German music and 5 or 6 German beers on tap alongside their usual seasonal and flagship brews. Local food trucks serve dishes inspired by traditional Oktoberfest food, and a local brass quintet plays traditional German tunes. Games start in the afternoon with “the bier puppet” (a game where players use a device that operates like a puppet to drink a beer without spilling), followed by a barrel roll, a stein race, and a stein hoist.

5. Lovettsville Oktoberfest

September 22–23, 2023

For a town-wide celebration, visit Lovettsville, whose Oktoberfest was recently voted Loudoun County’s Best Community Event/Festival. More than 10,000 people join the festivities each year for “a bit of Germany and a lot of Virginia.”

Lovettsville’s German roots date to the 1700s, prior to the original Oktoberfest in Munich. Locals celebrated Erntedank (“harvest thanks”), a German, Austrian, and Swiss fall harvest festival. This seasonal thanksgiving traditionally included church services, music, dancing, food, drinks, and parades.