When deciding how to decorate for an Oktoberfest party, first know that Oktoberfest is a grand celebration, not a humble affair. Maybe you won’t have the same 7 million visitors as the original in Munich, but there should definitely be fanfare, streamers, color, volume! And a bunch of signs you can’t read! Everything short of hiring your own pyrotechnics company is great.
Besides, what’s Oktoberfest without streamers and flags? Without lights and banners? Well, it’s a couple of dudes getting together to drink each other’s homebrews and listen to Band of Horses. And that’s not very wanderlusty.
For your backyard bierfest, all you need to know are these few tips on how to decorate for an Oktoberfest party.
Tips for choosing Oktoberfest party decorations
If an authentic-ish Oktoberfest party is what you’re after, you’re in luck. I’ve spent years at Munich’s Oktoberfest staring blankly at the beer tent decorations so you don’t have to. (Alcohol is fun!) And it’s based-off-the-original or bust in my book. There’ll be no “photo booth props” at my shindigs. The only cheese you’ll find here is for dipping your Oktoberfest pretzels into.
For everything else, check out these tips on how to decorate for an Oktoberfest party.
1. Base your Oktoberfest party decorations on the real thing
To create an “authentic” Oktoberfest environment at home, you’ll want to base your Oktoberfest party decorations on the real thing, not on someone else’s Pinterest board.
This is Oktoberfest—the world’s largest beer and folk festival, not a child’s birthday party. (Though, while researching for this article I did find a page on how to throw an Oktoberfest-inspired birthday party for a ONE YEAR OLD. Then again, filling baby bottles with apple juice and inciting a chugging contest also sounds really fun. *I do not have children.)
We’re adults here and should party accordingly. Your at-home Oktoberfest shouldn’t look like a Pinterest board exploded in your backyard. You won’t find lace-wrapped wheat bundles or calligraphic chalkboard menus at real Oktoberfest.
Though Oktoberfest is an affair with flare, it’s important to keep your décor to a minimum. No one wants to be tripping over props, signs, balloon arches, and whatever else erupted from Mount Pinterest.
2. Copy your favorite Oktoberfest beer tent
One easy answer for how to decorate for an Oktoberfest party is to just straight up copy the original. Look no further than your favorite Oktoberfest beer tent.
If you’ve been to Oktoberfest in Munich, you definitely already have a favorite beer tent. (Which is it? I want to know!) If not, a simple image search for “Oktoberfest beer tents” will get you some great inspiration.
Oktoberfest beer tent decoration inspiration
For me, my favorite tent is the Hacker-Pschorr Festzelt. (See photo below.) So for Oktoberfest party decorations I’d opt for:
- Light blue streamers
- Small puffy clouds (easily cut-out from poster board)
- Something like these gold star lanterns (which you can totally use again for your at-home German Christmas market in a few months)
- Pine garland wrapped with shiny gold streamers
But my choice would actually be a toss-up between the Hacker tent and the Festzelt Tradition which would be wunderbar to recreate at home: Pine garland with white string lights and Bavarian bunting.
If you’re a fan of the Hofbraü tent, you could do: White streamers with sunflower wreaths or sunflower bundles and hop bundles (Seen at the top of this post.)
For Löwenbräu and Paulaner fans: Yellow streamers with fairy lights, simple pine wreaths with blue and white ribbons. You could easily make these out of Christmas garland and hula hoops for larger spaces.
To copy the Armbrustschützenzelt: Green and white streamers, and faux animal heads on the walls – hey, there’s an Oktoberfest motif for everyone. Bonus points for everyone who shows up with their own crossbow. (Yes, there’s a crossbow-shooting range inside the Armbrustschützenzelt.)
For Augustiner tent lovers: Bright green and black streamers, wreaths with light blue ribbons, and some sunflower bundles. Or take it twelve steps further and create these amazingly elaborate wreaths also found inside the Augustiner tent:
3. Stick to a Bavarian motif
If you’re planning to go the route of more traditional party decorations: banners, themed plates and napkins, balloons, etc., be sure to stick to a Bavarian motif, not a German one. There’s very much a difference (and I’m not just talking about the colors, but I digress).
- Hang up a Bavarian flag or put miniature ones on your tables that people can take home
- Utilize blue & white checked banners
- Choose blue solo cups over red ones (so as to avoid reference to that other German party)
Interested in including some Oktoberfest games at your party? Check out the most popular Oktoberfest party games here (but play them at your own risk!)
4. Take your Oktoberfest party decorations a step further
If you really want to show off your knowledge of Oktoberfest details, there are a few ways to take your Oktoberfest party decorating up a notch. Some other things to consider for how to decorate for an Oktoberfest party include:
Childish balloons
I know this goes against everything I said earlier, but hear me out. For whatever reason (coughalcohol), these childish balloons are super popular all over Oktoberfest. With the drunken grown-ups. For optimum Oktoberfest authenticity, be sure to have on hand:
- Unicorn balloons (There are actually so many kinds to choose from!)
- Minion balloons
- Peppa Pig balloons
- Beer mug balloons
Those who’ve been to the real Oktoberfest will love the extra attention to detail! Tie them together to a chair or, for a frighteningly realistic effect, don’t tie them to anything and just let them float up into your ceiling.
The chicken hat
When people buy these chicken hats at Oktoberfest, I can’t help but groan. But if you don’t impulsively buy dumb, embarrassing stuff you don’t need, did you even drink beer by the liter?
There’s someone in almost every group who buys a chicken hat at Oktoberfest. And you know what? Everyone freaking loves it! Add a little bit of that real Oktoberfest dweeb vibe by getting a chicken hat or two for your at-home Oktoberfest.
5. Get the right Oktoberfest party supplies
Look, Bavarian-themed napkins, plates, tablecloths, etc. all do exist, but that can get overboard and fast. We get it—it’s an Oktoberfest-themed party. No need to choke us with the checkers.
Let your authentic beer tent-esque party decorations, and pair all this up with some simple white:
- Party plates
- Napkins
- Cutlery
- Actually this package has all of that.
- And this “gold” tablecloth that will help your tables look more like a beer garden table.
…and your party will look more like Oktoberfest and less like Wiesns gone wild.
6. Upgrade your Oktoberfest party decorations
So you’re coming up with how to decorate for an Oktoberfest party and you’re looking to drop some real cash? Here are a few fun ways to upgrade your Oktoberfest decorations:
- Get some real beer garden furniture at beergardenfurniture.net. Gah, if only I could’ve registered here for my wedding.
- Have some wooden barrels on hand. At Oktoberfest, Augustiner (Munich’s oldest brewery) still serves their beer out of traditional wooden kegs. You’ll need to head to Etsy for these.
- Make the original Oktoberfest welcome sign. (pictured above) This would be super easy to recreate on fabric or vinyl, or painted on plywood.
- Get some horses. Just kidding. Okay I’m not. Don’t go buy horses or anything, but if you’ve got them, you sure as hell better decorate them too.
7. Let the atmosphere speak for itself
While proper Oktoberfest party decorations are key, you don’t need to go overboard to create a fun, festive Oktoberfest environment. In other words, it’s everything else combined that helps bring your backyard bierfest together. Like:
- Awesome Oktoberfest music
- All the amazing Oktoberfest party foods
- Everyone in their traditional Oktoberfest outfits
- Serving the right kind of beer
Like this post? Have questions about decorating for your Oktoberfest party? Let me know in the comments below. Prost!
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