4 minute read
Milwaukee Oktoberfest Guide 2022
BY BARRY HOULEHEN
When it comes to Oktoberfest celebrations this year, the Milwaukee area has them! Whether you're just up for some beer, brats and polka, or ready for some real Wisconsin German traditions, you'll find music, dance, German beer and cuisine, competitions, history and cultural exhibits all over the Milwaukee area, plus all kinds of fun German words like gemütlichkeit, glockenspiel, hammerschlagen, Schwabenhof, Hunsrucker, lederhosen, kartoffelsalat and spätzle!
Illustrations by Michael Burmesch.
BAVARIAN BIERHAUS OKTOBERFEST
Old Heidelberg Park at the Bavarian Bierhaus 700 W. Lexington Blvd., Glendale bavarianbierhaus.com
Thursdays through Sundays Sept. 2-Oct. 1 Thursdays and Fridays, open at 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, open at 11 a.m.
“Milwaukee's Original Oktoberfest” in Old Heidelberg Park has kept the gemütlichkeit going and the barrels rolling for over 60 years. Formerly the Bavarian Inn and now the Bavarian Bierhaus craft brewery, this German-themed site has the perfect atmosphere for your polka and pretzels experience. Plenty of German beers, ein prosits, endless German music, and lots of food including a Friday fish fry await you.
Tip: Table space is often at a premium. Reserve yours ahead of time at their website through Eventbrite:
Free admission Thursdays and Sundays; admission fee Fridays and Saturdays (discount available through their app).
SCHOOL SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS OKTOBERFEST
St. Joseph Center 1507 S. Layton Blvd., Milwaukee (29th Street at Orchard St.) sssf.org
Sept. 11, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Beverage options for this fundraiser include two special Lakefront Brewery offerings called Ale Mary and Our Lager! The Sisters definitely have a sense of humor, and the biergarten at this Oktoberfest will also include root beer on tap and wine. They’ll also have live polka music of course, Hammerschlagen, giant Jenga, cornhole, pulled pork, chicken, brats, and more, and it’s all for a good cause, supporting several different charities.
PROSIT TOSA 2022
Wauwatosa Historical Society 7406 Hillcrest Drive, Wauwatosa
Sept. 17, 1-8 p.m.
If you’re looking for Oktoberfest fun and German history, Prosit Tosa is the fest for you. Presented by the Wauwatosa Historical Society, it features the obligatory German style food, live polka music and German and domestic beers, plus a kids area, a Hammerschlagen (nail driving) tournament, stein holding contest, best dirndl and lederhosen contests and German history and culture displays. Advance tickets $9 through Eventbrite
BARKTOBEREST
Estabrook Beer Garden 4600 Estabrook Pkwy, Milwaukee friendsofmadacc.org
Sept. 17, noon-5 p.m.
This fundraiser for Friends of MADACC (Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission) will feature demonstrations, kids’ activities, and of course, lots of dogs, all in the pleasant confines of the Estabrook Beer Garden in Estabrook Park. Bring your dog!
OKTOBERFEST AT THE SCHWABENHOF
The Schwabenhof N56 W14750 Silver Spring Drive, Menomonee Falls theschwabenhof.com
Sept. 23, 4–11 p.m. Sept. 24, 5–11 p.m.
If there’s any place that can give the Bavarian Bierhaus Oktoberfest a run for the money for longevity and tradition, it’s got to be the Schwabenhof. It’s easy to get to—a straight shot down Silver Spring— and they have a fine biergarten and bar featuring German beers year round.
Run by the Milwaukee Donauschwaben Club, a German cultural club started in 1945, their Oktoberfest will feature German music and beer, authentic German cuisine, and their specialty, German dance groups.
SAINT AUGUSTINE OKTOBERFEST
Saint Augustine of Hippo church 2350 S. Howell Ave., Milwaukee staugies.org
Sept. 25, Noon-8 p.m.
A church festival that’s also an Oktoberfest? Now that’s how we do it in Milwaukee, and St. Augie’s certainly knows how to do it right: beef rouladen dinner with spätzle and red cabbage, bratwurst, franks, kartoffelsalat (German potato salad) and Bavarian pretzels, plus live polka music including The Squeezettes, games, stein holding contest and a biergarten!
CEDARBURG OKTOBERFEST
US Bank parking lot W63 N641 Washington Ave., Cedarburg cedarburgfestival.org
Oct. 1, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Oct. 2, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Lots of great German food at this one, including sauerbraten, schnitzel, sausages, and more, plus a selection of Oktoberfest beers and German imports. Don’t miss the Glockenspiel cuckoo clock show throughout the day, and there will be contests for best dirndl and lederhosen, a sauerkraut eating competition, stein holding, and even a German spelling bee.
Free admission and parking
OUR LADY OF LOURDES MILWAUKEE OKTOBERFEST CEDARBURG OKTOBERFEST
Photo by Chris Homayouni. Courtesy of Cedarburg Chamber of Commerce.
Our Lady of Lourdes church 3722 S. 58th St, Milwaukee ololmke.org
Oct. 7-9
It’s a church Oktoberfest that’s also an art show and it features live music including polka (with The Squeezettes on Saturday), Friday fish fry, and more.
GERMANTOWN HUNSRUCKER OKTOBERFEST
Dheinsville Historical Park Holy Hill Rd, Hwy 145/Fond du Lac Ave. & Maple Road, Germantown germantownhistoricalsociety.org
Oct. 24, Noon-11 p.m. Oct. 25, Noon-7 p.m.
You’d expect a good Oktoberfest in a place called Germantown, and plenty of German music and dance beckon Oktoberfesters to the Germantown Hunsrucker Oktoberfest. What’s a Hunsrucker, you ask? Someone from Hunsruck in southwest Germany, of course! The Dhein family, who settled this part of Germantown in the 1840s, hailed from there.
In addition to all the German fun, be sure to catch the Dachshund Dash 3 p.m. Saturday, benefitting the Washington County Humane Society (yes, it’s a weiner dog race)!
