How to Throw an Oktoberfest Party: 6 Easy Oktoberfest Party Ideas

I decided to create this guide on how to throw an Oktoberfest party at home because, well, sometimes we just can’t make it to Munich. But that shouldn’t stop anyone from being able to experience the magic that is Oktoberfest. *jazz hands*

You may not have a giant Ferris wheel and Alpine views in your backyard or horse-drawn beer carriages parked in your driveway. But you can still have the smell of warm candied almonds, the sounds of cheery oom-pah-pah, and gemütlichkeit galore without even leaving your lawn. And I’m here to show you how to incorporate some great Oktoberfest party ideas.

How to throw an Oktoberfest party

Okay, so your at-home Oktoberfest won’t be anywhere near the size of the original in Munich. (I hear seven guests are easier to cook for than 7 million anyway.) But you can still recreate these Oktoberfest party ideas on a smaller scale in your very own backyard.

And putting this guide to how to throw an Oktoberfest party into action is going to be just about as much fun as going to the original. (Almost.)

Whether you’ve been to Oktoberfest in Munich or not, this Oktoberfest party planning guide will help you host an awesome party that’s as close to the real thing as you can get!

And for when you want to party around town, check out this list of all the best Oktoberfests in all 50 states to find a great Oktoberfest near you!

1. Oktoberfest party ideas for beer

Though Oktoberfest is about so much more than beer, no one can deny it is, in fact, the glue that holds the whole thing together. Without it, your party would be little more than an awkward employee appreciation barbecue in the office parking lot.

Oktoberfest party beer selection

Though you won’t be able to find the exact beer served at Oktoberfest, you can still find most of these breweries’ “Oktoberfest”-style beers at a store near you. The most widely found tend to be Paulaner Oktoberfest, Spaten Oktoberfest, and Hofbräu Oktoberfest, but you can find the others if you know where to look. My Oktoberfest party beer guide explains more.

If you can’t find the Oktoberfest versions from these six breweries, sticking with whatever you can find from them will do just fine. Some options that are easy to find year-round include: Spaten Lager, Spaten Franziskaner, Hofbräu Original, and Paulaner Original Munich Lager.

Have guests that don’t drink beer? Check out my guide to Oktoberfest for non-beer drinkers for many other ideas of what to serve.

Stick to German beers

And if you can’t find beer from any of those particular breweries, do your best to at least keep it German! Oktoberfest is as much about Bavarian culture as it is about beer—so remember that in your party planning. Focus on celebrating Bavaria, not just on celebrating.

Some other brands to look for are: Weihenstephaner, Warsteiner, Erdinger, Ayinger, and more.

This information, however, is just the tip of the Oktoberfest party beer iceberg. There’s much more to know! The beer is the foundation on which your Oktoberfest party is built; make it a strong one. (Find everything you should know about the beer served at Oktoberfest here.)

And if you end up getting cans, pick up some of my exclusive Ein Prosit can koozies from the Wanderlusty Shop! They’re double-sided in Bavarian blue with the lyrics of Oktoberfest’s most popular song.

Get a keg for your Oktoberfest party

For larger get-togethers, consider getting a keg instead of bottled beer. Besides being much better for the environment (kegs are reusable!), this could potentially save you tons of money and trouble. Plus, the beer will taste so much better.

Buying a keg may seem like a hassle, but it’s actually way easier than you think. I have a 4-tap kegerator at my house so I’m buying kegs all the time. But even if your party is just going to be a trash can + ice situation, kegs are still a great (economical, eco-friendly, and tasty) way to go.

For everything you need to know about what beer to serve at an Oktoberfest party, check out that link. I have a full post just on this that covers the details of what kind of beer is sold at Oktoberfest, what beers to get for your party and where to easily find them, fun Oktoberfest beer-drinking etiquette to know, and everything you need to know about getting a keg for your Oktoberfest party.

2. Oktoberfest party ideas for food

Maybe you think Oktoberfest is only a beer festival, but it’s really so much more than that. Oktoberfest in Munich is just as much about the food as it is about the beer, the tuba, the lederhosen, the beautiful blonde in the monk’s robe on the horse.

And though it may not be the first thing on your mind on your walk to the Wiesn, it should definitely be one of the first things you think about when deciding how to throw an Oktoberfest party. The last thing you want is a bunch of empty-stomached beer drinkers passing out on your lawn. Actually, that would be pretty authentic Oktoberfest.

At Oktoberfest in Munich, 500,000 roast chickens, 124 giant oxen, and about a gazillion pretzels are served each year. And while you won’t be toiling away that fiercely (step away from the rotisserie, Rhonda), there’s still a list of must-have Oktoberfest party foods.

Oktoberfest party appetizers

At a party where beer is the main focus, it’s important to offer snacks on snacks on snacks. Here are some on-theme appetizers to keep stocked:

Bavarian soft pretzels

The first rule of Oktoberfest food is that you must have big Bavarian Oktoberfest soft pretzels. Without those, your Oktoberfest-themed party is just… a sausage fest?

Candied almonds

These Gebrannte Mandeln are super popular at Oktoberfest and super easy to make at home. The smell of them cooking alone will turn your block into an instant Volksfest.

Potato pancakes

Also known as Kartoffelpuffer in German. This potato pancakes recipe is easy to make for both large and small groups, and who doesn’t love a fried potato dish?

Oktoberfest charcuterie board

You’ll find these meat / cheese / vegetable boards in all the Oktoberfest beer tents. Each is unique, but they typically contain pretzels, various sausages and meats, delicious cheese spreads, and always radishes!

This would be perfect for an at-home Oktoberfest but be sure to provide serving utensils and/or toothpicks to avoid hands-on-food. (Cute Bavarian flag toothpicks here.)

Main dishes

If you’re having a sit-down Oktoberfest dinner, dishes like sauerbraten or the ever-popular roasted half chicken would be ideal. For larger gatherings, brats on the grill are as easy as they come!

Oktoberfest side dishes

Every Oktoberfest must have German potato salad (yes, it’s different) and sauerkraut—two serious Bavarian staples that are easy to make (or buy) for any size party.

Oktoberfest desserts

And for dessert, you can’t go wrong with some delicious dampfnudel or kaiserschmarrn. Though, there may be something wrong with your backyard bierfest if you don’t have some lebkuchenherzen. Make your own and personalize!

This short list is just the start of all the great Oktoberfest foods you can serve. Check out my post on the 16 best Oktoberfest party foods for more. It includes recipes to the above items—either my own recipes or ones that I’ve chosen after much, much delicious research.

3. Oktoberfest party ideas for decorations

From what I’ve learned, there are two ways to decorate for an Oktoberfest party at home:

• The cheesy, Pinterest way
• And the authentic, mock-Munich way

The first of the two involves corny photo booth props and face cut-outs, fancy chalkboard menus, and ribbon-tied wheat bundles. Remember, Oktoberfest is the focus here—not that online calligraphy course you took.

This can quickly become too much. One look at the Oktoberfest party offerings on Amazon is enough to make you vomit blue and white. And I’ve seen pictures where people have utilized everything on this page. It’s… a lot.

The second, more sane option is where you want to be. Creating a mini Munich in your backyard is the best and most authentic way to celebrate Oktoberfest at home.

The great thing about Oktoberfest decorations is that you can keep it simple and it works! At Oktoberfest, the décor is grand, but it’s not the focal point. It’s unobtrusive. It works behind the scenes with the music, the outfits, and the food and beer to create the perfect atmosphere. In short, you don’t need in-your-face centerpieces and confetti to get your point across.

How to decorate for an Oktoberfest party

To accomplish this, I suggest simply replicating your favorite Oktoberfest beer tent. If you’ve been to Oktoberfest, you probably have a favorite. If not, choose a favorite based on photos or your brewery of choice.

So you love the Hacker-Pschorr tent (like me)? Go with simple light blue and white streamers and some star lanterns. Cut some clouds out of poster board. Paint yourself a Himmel der Bayern banner.

If your favorite German beer is Hofbräu, model your decorations after the Hofbräu beer tent at Oktoberfest. For instance: white streamers, sunflower bundles, hop bundles, and blue and white patterned tablecloths.

For Augustiner fans, green and black streamers along with pine wreaths and light blue ribbons will do. And so on. (There are 14 large beer tents at Oktoberfest representing the full color spectrum.)

For more about decorating for an Oktoberfest party – check out that post! I go into a lot more detail about how to decorate for an Oktoberfest-themed party that’s not cheesy and stays true to its big Bavarian brother.

4. Oktoberfest party ideas for music

At Oktoberfest, I’m there every morning at opening. The beer tents open at 10 am but the band doesn’t start playing until noon. During those first two hours, the party is only slowly getting started. But when the band strikes up at noon, the energy in the place changes to something you’ve never experienced before.

Oktoberfest simply isn’t Oktoberfest without the music. But if you’ve never been to Oktoberfest before, choosing the music for your Oktoberfest party could seem like an impossible task. Like, where do you even start?

Perfect Oktoberfest playlist

So for you I’ve put together an entire Oktoberfest party playlist. It’s got over 90 songs and lasts for almost 5 hours. It contains all the same songs and in the same order that you’d hear them at Oktoberfest in Munich. (So make sure not to hit the shuffle button!)

It starts with some traditional oom-pah-pah, morphs into some German pop hits (you won’t know the words but you’ll definitely feel the rhythm), and onto some popular rock classics and party anthems. All authentic to Oktoberfest (with one exception).

Listen while you party prep, listen while you cook, listen while you write this blog post. (Ok, that one’s just for me.)

Get my perfect Oktoberfest playlist here—available free on Spotify! This post also has some very important lyrics to know, some instructional videos (because of course there are kids songs with coordinated moves), and more to know about Oktoberfest music.

5. Fun ideas for Oktoberfest games

To be clear, there aren’t all that many “Oktoberfest games” played at Oktoberfest. I think “stay upright throughout the night” is tough enough as it is.

However, here in the States and abroad, many Oktoberfestivals, bierfests, and parties have incorporated a variety of fun and hilarious Oktoberfest games. Though they vary in their degrees of authenticity, they are all fun and hilarious as promised!

Many of these Oktoberfest party games involve dangerous materials and/or actions so I’m definitely not encouraging you to include all of these at your party. So, I’ll just leave this list here and you can do with it as you please, at your own risk.

There’s something here for every type of at-home Oktoberfest party though: tests of skill, will, and endurance, races and relays, and even trivia and Oktoberfest board games. Whatever you choose to play, be sure to add some fun (and totally safe) games to your party to keep your guests entertained!

Check out the full list here of fun Oktoberfest games played at bierfests and parties far and wide.

6. What to wear to an Oktoberfest party

Wherever you celebrate Oktoberfest—be it in Munich or at home—you should definitely wear the traditional Oktoberfest outfits! It is so. much. fun. and adds a whole other dimension of awesomeness and authenticity to your party. (Otherwise, check out one of the fun options in the Wanderlusty Oktoberfest shop!)

Depending on your preference that would mean either a dirndl or lederhosen. If you’ve been to Oktoberfest in Germany, chances are you already have a set of one or the other. And YAY! You get to wear it again! If not, you can easily pick some up for your party.

Lederhosen

Lederhosen, typically worn by men, consists of a pair of leather knee-length shorts with suspenders, a white or checked button-up shirt, knee socks, and loafers. They vary in color all the way from black to *gasp* brown.

These also come in women’s shapes and sizes which I call Ladyhosen because why wouldn’t you? These can be all kinds of colors and materials, from red leather to denim.

Dirndl

A dirndl is made up of three pieces: a white blouse, a dress, and an apron. Yes, aprons are finally fashion statements! Socks can be worn but it’s not mandatory. Everything from ballet flats to cute booties works for Oktoberfest shoes.

I can tell you just about anything you could ever want to know about dirndls. For everything you’ll need and where to get it, how to wear it all, what not to wear to Oktoberfest, how to upgrade a cheap dirndl, accessories, hair, cleavage, and more, check out my post on how to dress for Oktoberfest. It covers everythinggg.

Check out Rare Dirndl and use my promo code (MYWANDERLUSTYLIFE) for 10% off your entire purchase.

Where to buy Oktoberfest outfits

Since picking up some authentic pieces in Munich is out of the question, let’s switch it up. You can actually find everything you’ll need for your Oktoberfest outfit online from your very own couch.

I’ve purchased plenty of dirndls and Oktoberfest accessories online and I have plenty of experience buying them from stores here in the U.S. and from stores in Europe. It’s easy and can be relatively inexpensive… if you know how to shop.

And for that, I’ve written a post all about buying a dirndl online. It covers:

• Where to buy dirndls online
• My experiences with a few of the top shops
• What all you need to buy
• And 9 crucial things you need to know before you buy a dirndl online.

Check out my guide to buying a dirndl online here and my guide to upgrading a cheap dirndl for when you don’t want to spend a lot!

Oktoberfest party supplies

To throw an Oktoberfest-themed party at your house, you’ll also need some crucial party supplies, like:

• Oktoberfest beer koozies, obviously
• This 250-piece dinner set with 50 of each: dinner plates, dessert plates, knives, forks, and spoons
• (For larger parties) This 24-piece party set with: wire racks, water pans, food pans/chafing dishes, sterno heat, and serving utensils
• Bavarian flag napkins
• Red Blue plastic cups
• Stemless plastic wine “glasses” for those not drinking beer
• A bottle opener and/or a corkscrew – I can’t stress this enough!
• Disposable table clothes – Go with “gold” to mimic Oktoberfest beer tent tables
• Extra large trash bags
• Toothpicks
• Everything else in the checklist below

Oktoberfest party planning checklist

Now that you know the five most important steps for how to throw an Oktoberfest party, it’s time to get to planning! To get you started, I’ve put together a free, printable party planning checklist that contains all the most important things you’ll need for your backyard bierfest.

Get this free checklist sent to your inbox by signing up below.

Also, if you post about your at-home Oktoberfest on Facebook or Instagram, tag me in your pics and stories @mywanderlustylife! I’d love to see how your backyard bierfest came out!

Like this post? Have questions about any of these Oktoberfest party ideas? Let me know in the comments below. Prost!

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