There are only three celebrations of Oktoberfest in Wyoming according to my research. Although the Wyoming population is 26% German, there are only 145,000 descendants of German heritage in the state, one of the ten lowest states in absolute number. So you’ll just have to raise a real ruckus and drink your share of the keg at these Oktoberfests.
2014 Dates
Butte-toberfest – Butte, MT – September 20, 2014
Cooper Village Museum Oktoberfest – Anaconda, MT – September 27, 2014
Snake River Brewing Oktoberfest -Jackson, WY – October 9, 2014
Snake River Brewery has been serving up great beer in the Teton Mountains since 1994. They celebrate Oktoberfest with live music, liter steins with special beers, authentic german food, the chicken dance and barmaids in dirndls. 2014 is their 20th annual event – information is on the Facebook page as of 9/6.
Location: 265 South Millward Street, Jackson, Wyoming
Mondak Heritage Center Oktoberfest – October 4, 2014
Past Events
Central Wyoming College Foundation Oktoberfest – Riverton, WY – October 10, 2013
This Wyoming Oktoberfest is a scholarship fundraiser held by the CWC Foundation. It includes a german meal, dancing and both silent and live auctions. It is held at the Holiday Inn Riverton-Convention Center.
Location: 900 E Sunset Dr, Riverton, WY 82501
Oktoberfest Beer & Brew off – Buffalo, WY
Haven’t seen a 2014 date yet.
Location: Up in Smoke, 94 South Main Street, Buffalo, WY 82834
Lander Art Center
A benefit for the Lander Art Center hosted at Museum of the American West. The first two hours of the event are family friendly with face painting and other children’s activities. Tickets are $10 with kids 12 and under free.
We have just added these maps with the locations of each Oktoberfest. We may not have had the exact location for each Oktoberfest so in some instances we have placed the marker in the general vicinity of the Oktoberfest. Be sure to get specific directions from another source and do not solely rely on our map at the moment. We have also noticed that the markers may not show up on some mobile browsers. We will work to sort out this bug in the future.
Please confirm dates, locations and activities available at the Oktoberfest before going. That’s one reason that we provide a website address when we find one. We attempt to ensure that the information for each Oktoberfest is accurate but there are bound to be a few errors. If you let us know when you find one, we will fix it. In some cases, we may link to the 2012 event when information for 2013 is not available. Do not be fooled.
The festivals listed range in size. Some events may have hundreds of thousands of attendees. Others may have only a handful. We’re sorry that we don’t have more information about attendance numbers at the moment. We will do our best to add this information as time goes on.
Professionalism varies as well. Some Oktoberfests are professional operations with large budgets. Others are local operations run by volunteers. Do your due diligence before making plans to attend so that you know what to expect. We will happily publish information about your experience with any Oktoberfest so that our visitors will be better informed in the future.
Some Oktoberfests are more family friendly than others. If you have small children, look for an Oktoberfest that has activities for kids. Other events start out with family friendly activities and become more adult oriented as it becomes later in the evening.
Not all Oktoberfest celebrations will be authentic German festival experiences. Some may simply be an excuse to drink rather than celebrate German heritage. Some may call themselves Oktoberfest but provide local or seasonal beer rather than authentic German Oktoberfest beer. Be sure to consider the type of celebration that you are looking to attend when you pick your Oktoberfest.
Activities offered at each Oktoberfest varies. Some activities that you may find are parades, keg tapping ceremony, beer gardens, Miss Oktoberfest or costume contests, stein holding contests, bratwurst eating contest, chicken dance, wiener races, keg toss, live German bands and local entertainment, polka dancing and fairground games. Some Oktoberfest events will just have beer and brats.
Please don’t drink and drive. We want everyone to get home safe. Use a designated driver or take public transportation.
Do you run one of the Oktoberfests listed? Feel free to send us additional information and we will add it. We apologize for any errors: send us corrections when you find them!
Some of these Oktoberfest parties might be on the smaller side. Try my list of the largest Oktoberfest festivals in the United States for the most popular and attended celebrations of German heritage. You should also check the lists of nearby states that also celebrate Oktoberfest: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Utah.
Whether you have found a festival to enjoy or you will be celebrating from home, Funtober has some other resources that will help you prepare for Oktoberfest. Read about the history of Oktoberfest. Learn about Oktoberfest beer. Find the words to Oktoberfest music. Plan your Oktoberfest outfit. And try cooking some of these Oktoberfest recipes.
And don’t forget that I’ve put together a list of other October festivals in Wyoming! So find other fun things to do in Wyoming in October:
Wyoming Festivals
Wyoming Corn Mazes
Wyoming Ghost Tours
Haunted Houses in Wyoming
Pumpkin Patches in Wyoming
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