Introducing Oktoberfest 2026 featuring extended hours, more food & drink, more tents, more fun!

Whether you’re dancing, toe-tapping, or just soaking up the Biergarten vibes, they’ll keep the oompah going all afternoon and evening.

The fun extends well beyond the music

You can flex your inner Bavarian or Tyrolean by competing in traditional Oktoberfest games and contests for serious bragging rights and “Winner, Winner, Schnitzel Dinner” awards.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Oktoberfest fun begins at 1 pm

• Hammerschlagen (nail driving)
• Fassrollen (barrel rolling)
• Kids’ Kraft Korner
• Thistles Photo Booth

• The NEW Jolly Germans bring the oompah

• Brezelwerfen (pretzel toss) Round One

• O’Zapft Is! (ceremonial keg tapping)
• Masskrugstemmen (steinholding contest).
  Sign up now to compete.
• Trachtenwettbewerb, an Oktoberfest Costume Contest for people & pets.
  Sign up now to compete.

• Alpine Thunder brings the noise

• Alphorn tryout – now’s your chance to play the mighty Swiss alphorns made famous by Ricola cough drop commercials!

• Brezelwerfen (pretzel toss) Round 2

Can’t oompah with the rest of us? Our Spirit of Pella webcam feed will be live.

All that fun leaves everyone hungry and thirsty!

Raise your stein!

The Cellar Peanut Pub will have 20+ Oktoberfest-style beers on tap.

Have your own German stein? Bring it along, and the Peanut Pub will help you fill it! A large traditional German stein is 32 ounces (or 1 liter) of fun – The Cellar Peanut Pub will be happy to help you hoist your special mug and will charge you for two 16-ounce pours.

Want to avoid a line? Consider ordering a pitcher with your friends – four 16-ounce pours are in a pitcher, at the price of three!

Enjoy 1919 Classic American Draft Root Beer from Clover Leaf on Franklin, under the Nicolet Bank Root Beer Tent. The name 1919 marks the year when hundreds of breweries faced closure under Prohibition. To keep their breweries open, several resourceful Brewmasters made near beers, elixirs, and sodas! 1919 is alcohol-free and contains no caffeine.

Promotions by Design has created special Oktoberfest mugs for the kiddos to enjoy their root beer.

Ready to shake up what’s in your stein?

Pella Opera House will be serving a Black Forest Martini and other specialty cocktails out their back door.

The Wijn House is offering Gluhwein (hot spiced mulled wine) and Weinschorle (dry white wine with sparkling mineral water) in the Wijn House wine garden.

Prost! More pours await—just ask.

Gutes Essen! or Good Food!

Enjoy German-themed eats and treats brought to you by our hospitality partners. Below is a sampling of our wunderbar fare!

In’t Veld’s Meat Market & Butcher’s Brewhuis will be serving Smoked Bratwurst, ¼ lb. All-Beef Hot Dogs, Pretzels, and Cheese Sauce.  We will also be providing drink tickets that give guests $1.00 off Tap or Well beverages with their purchase at the event, redeemable at the 2nd-floor Brewhuis Asylum Bar.

Prime Country BBQ will be bringing a bold new German-style brisket-and-beer-cheese sandwich, served on a pretzel bun.

Belinda’s will be serving sauerkraut-loaded baked potatoes.

Tear into Tyrolean pretzels and popcorn from Central College Catering.

Dig into a Bavarian-inspired Brat and German Potato Salad or a Reuben Flatbread from Clover Leaf on Franklin*.

Ready for a sweet treat?

Sweet Henry’s will bring a special hand-crafted German chocolate cookie and ice cream sammie.

Suikerspin Cotton Candy brings their elevated cotton candy experience, featuring 18+ flavors, including a special root beer cotton candy in honor of Oktoberfest.

And Thistles Flower Market carts will be in the beer garden, offering specialty chocolate truffles, an Oktoberfest snack mix, dipped stroopwafels, caramel apples, and specially made Lebkuchenherzen, decorated gingerbread heart cookies often seen at German markets and Oktoberfest celebrations.

*Brat and German Potato Salad available until 4 p.m. in the Clover Leaf on Franklin and Reuben Flatbread in  the deKelder Speakeasy from 5 to 9 p.m.

OKTOBERFEST GAMES AND CONTEST DETAILS

MASSKRUGSTEMMEN (Steinholding)

Masskrugstemmen, or Steinholding, is a legendary Bavarian strength contest in which competitors grip a full 1-liter beer stein with a straight arm at chest level and hold it as long as they can. Originating in Bavaria, this fierce game has become a favorite at Oktoberfest and beyond.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO COMPETE:

Boys and girls under 16 battle together—smaller steins, big pride. Ages 16 to 21, all in one mighty group, lift the classic 1-liter stein— root beer spills are verboten!

For adults 21+, it’s men versus women—traditional steins, no excuses.

EQUIPMENT:

We’ll provide a one-liter dimpled glass beer stein – typically weighing up to five pounds when filled with beer. For kids, we’ll be using smaller steins filled with root beer.

RULES:

• Always grip by the handle. The thumb must rest along the fingers, not atop the handle.
• Pinkie may rest outside the handle and touch it, but never the body of the stein.
• Hold the stein with its front facing directly away from you, parallel to your extended arm.
• Slight back arch is okay, but minimal leaning.
• Elbow cannot pass behind your ankle; armpit cannot extend beyond your hips or toes.
• No leaning left or right—shoulder line remains mostly parallel with the ground.
• Stein must stay directly out front, never to the side. Shoulders should be perpendicular to the holding arm.
• Arm with the stein stays parallel to the ground, straight with no elbow bend, and perpendicular to the torso when viewed from the side.
• No resting arm on chest or torso.
• The off hand must stay at your side—never help with the stein or support your body.
• Do not touch other people, objects, or structures during competition.
• Remain in your personal zone; only minor movement to adjust form is allowed.
• Any spillage—auf Wiedersehen! Disqualification is immediate.
• An infraction of any rule will result in a strike being issued by the competition judge. After two strikes, the third strike results in the immediate disqualification of the competitor.

PRIZE:

Champions in the adult men’s and women’s divisions will hoist a stein in victory, and receive a commemorative T-shirt and stein of their very own.

The top kid will walk away with a commemorative T-shirt, and a Promotions by Design kid’s stein.

For the adults, if you’re knocked out early, your consolation is the precious beer left in your stein—best enjoyed, perhaps, with help from The Cellar Peanut Pub and a more manageable glass.

Untrained gentlemen typically last 3-5 minutes, while ladies last 1-3. Think you can beat the U.S. women’s record (6:10) or the men’s (21:17)?

For photo-worthy form and rules: https://www.ussteinholding.com/info/official-steinholding-rules.

TRACHTENWETTBEWERB – Oktoberfest Costume Contest for People & Pets

Dust off your dirndl, button up your lederhosen, and bring your Oktoberfest spirit! Contestants may enter one of the following categories:

• Best Traditional: Dirndl or Lederhosen
  Celebrate classic Bavarian style! Judges will look for traditional details, thoughtful accessories, and head-to-toe Oktoberfest flair.
• Most Creative/Funniest
  Let your imagination run wurst! Clever twists, homemade creations, and costumes that make the crowd/judges laugh are encouraged.
• Best “Kinder”
  A special category for our youngest festivalgoers! The Best “Kinder” can be traditional or imaginative, homemade or store-bought; the winning look should let their personality shine!
• Best Barkvarian
  Lederhosen on a Labrador? A dachshund in a dirndl? Pets should be comfortable, safely leashed or carried, and ready to charm the crowd.
• Best Family or Group
  Gather your favorite people and coordinate your Oktoberfest looks. Creativity, teamwork, and group enthusiasm all count!.

A FEW FRIENDLY RULES:

• Costumes must be family-friendly, respectful, and appropriate for all ages.
• Pets must remain leashed or in a carrier and be comfortable around crowds, music, and noise.
• Pet owners are responsible for their animals and for cleaning up after them.
• Contestants should be ready to strut, smile, and show off their Oktoberfest spirit.
• Most importantly: Have fun, cheer loudly, and remember—there’s no room for sour kraut attitudes!

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO COMPETE:

Everyone, including the kids, and even the family pet.

PRIZE:

Winners will receive a commemorative T-shirt and stein —guaranteed to turn their Fest spirit up to wunderbar!

HAMMERSCHLAGEN (nail driving)

Hammerschlagen is a lively twist on the traditional “Nailspielen” (Nail game). In the U.S., a similar game is called Stump.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PLAY:

Men and Women, Ages 16 and over.

EQUIPMENT:

We’ve set a soft log waist-high near the beer garden, complete with a cross-peen or blacksmith hammer, a 12/16d nail driven half an inch into the stump, and safety glasses.

RULES: 

• The player’s nail will be hammered into the log about half an inch into the wood before starting.
• On your turn: set the wedge-end of the hammer next to your nail and take one swing.
• Typically, Manner (men) hammer one-handed and Frauen (women) may use both hands. Choose what fits you best!
• The swing must be a smooth, vertical motion.
• Play proceeds to the right until a nail is flush with or beneath the wood.
• If your nail bends awkwardly, you may use your next turn to take a side swing to straighten it
• Move around the log as needed for a better angle—flexibility is the German way!

PRIZE:

No bruised fingers and serious bragging rights. 

FASSROLLEN (barrel rolling)

Experience the thrill of Oktoberfest with our classic barrel-rolling race! Roll kegs to knock down pins in a lively game of barrel bowling—a fun, authentic twist on traditional bowling that captures the spirit of German festivities.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PLAY:

Everyone, including the kids

EQUIPMENT:

We’re providing a mostly-empty beer keg a pony keg for the kids, and 10 bowling pins

RULES:

During this event, participants will roll a barrel down a “lane” to strike down as many pins as possible.

PRIZE:
Bragging rights at a ‘Ten-Pin Terrorizer’! Or ein Schreien, I feel a ‘Turducken’ coming on!

BREZELWERFEN (pretzel toss)

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PLAY:

Everyone, including the kids.

EQUIPMENT:

We’ll provide a wooden dowel and a bag of pretzels. You provide the skills!

RULES:

• Teams consist of two players, standing about 8 to 10 feet apart.
• One player acts as the tosser, while the other holds a target (in Germany, a Bavarian walking stick; in ours, a wooden dowel)
• Players toss pretzels to the “catcher” with the goal of landing as many as possible within one minute. 

PRIZE:

All the pretzels you can catch and bragging rights!

I’m still on the fence on whether to compete in the Oktoberfest contests…can I decide the day of?

We’re encouraging advance sign-ups for Masskrugstemmen (steinholding) and the Trachtenwettbewerb, our Oktoberfest costume contest.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS