Four Oktoberfest festivals in North Dakota? Congratulations! You crushed South Dakota. I had the mistaken opinion that there really wasn’t anything to do in North Dakota. I apologize. It’s South Dakota that is truly B-O-R-I-N-G. Here’s your North Dakota Oktoberfest parties:
Last Major Update:
2015 Events
Oktober Fest Un Mandan - Mandan, ND – September 26, 2015
German food, beer tasting, live music, fall crafts, games/contests and scarecrow auction.
Hankinson Oktoberfest – Hankinson, ND – September 26, 2015
Hankinson breaks out the German food, beer and live music in late September for the 13th annual North Dakota Oktoberfest. Events kick off with a walk/run and archery tournament. Oktoberfest starts at 10:45 AM with ceremony, beer tent and gaming. German food and live music. Little Miss Oktoberfest Pageant at 1 PM. Yodeling contest at 4:30 PM and fireworks at 8:30 PM. There’s also a kid’s playground area, marching band and tractor rides if the photos from the 2012 event are to be believed.
Jamestown Arts Center Oktoberfest – Jamestown, ND – September 12, 2015
The Arts Center in Jamestown holds an annual Oktoberfest bash at the Stutsman County Fair Grounds – Beer Garden. This will be their fifth annual Oktoberfest. It’s a full traditional cultural experience featuring German style food, beers and music. Costumes are encouraged. There is also a home brew contest. Those interested in participating should contact the Arts Center at 701-251-2496.
Location: 6th ave NW & 27th St NW Jamestown, ND 58401
Napoleon Oktoberfest – Napoleon, ND – October 2, 2015
The third annual Oktoberfest in German-Russian Country will have beer tasting, German fry sausage tasting, music, door prizes, a silent auction and other fun.
Oktoberfest – Fargo, ND – September 19, 25-26 & October 2-3, 2015
The Wurst Bier Hall in Fargo celebrates Oktoberfest with German music, Hammerschlagen, Snuff girls, a stein holding contest, schnapps girls, and great German beers and German foods. Event starts at 4:00 pm on Fridays and 12:00 pm on Saturdays and lasts until 10:00 pm. The location is Wurst Bier Hall, 630 1st Avenue N, Fargo, ND.
Muddy River Mashers Oktoberfest – Bismarck, ND – October 3, 2015
The Bismarck area homebrew club has an annual Oktoberfest event in early October where they share their brews with guests and compete for the best brew. 21+ to enter. Location: Sertoma Community Center, 300 Riverside Park Road, Bismarck, ND
Oktoberfest Fargo – Fargo, ND – September 25-26, 2015
Downtown Fargo’s annual Oktoberfest includes a pub crawl, Running of the Wieners, costume contest, hot dog eating contest, bean bag tournament, beer sampling and live music. Location: Broadway between Main and NP Ave, Fargo ND
Past Events
New Leipzig Oktoberfest – New Leipzig, ND – September 26-28, 2014
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 2014 event when information for 2015 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 a bit smaller. Try my list of the largest Oktoberfests 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: Minnesota, Montana, and South Dakota.
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.
Find other fun things to do in North Dakota in October:
North Dakota Festivals
North Dakota Corn Mazes
Haunted Houses in North Dakota
North Dakota Pumpkin Patches
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