Prost!

Hold that beer stein all month at these 10 Austin-area Oktoberfest events

Oktoberfest celebrations near Austin will continue well beyond October.

Photo courtesy of Scholz Garten

It’s that wonderful time of the year when drinking German beer, eating brats, and shouting Prost with strangers is almost mandatory. Oktoberfest is back with its annual beer-filled festivities and Austin is ready for it.

Although the festival started in Munich, Germany, around 200 years ago, it has spread throughout the world as a way to celebrate German culture. Over the next few weeks, there will be Oktoberfest celebrations with all kinds of events for adults and kids alike with fun competitions, live music, and traditional German food and drinks.

Here’s a roundup of the best festivities in town, in October and beyond.

Banger’s Oktoberfest
September 28-30
Expect all-day fun at Banger's Sausage House and Beer Garden, for the famous German restaurant's Oktoberfest celebrations. There will be special Texan and German beers on tap, live music, ceremonial firkin tapping, and stein-hoisting competitions. Food specials will include Schweinebraten (pork roast), warm German potato salad, Schnitzel sausage, and German potato cake. No reservations needed.

Easy Tiger's Oktoberfest (Weekend Two)
September 29 - October 1
Easy Tiger is offering a weekend full of celebrations with Oktoberfest-themed food, and limited-edition beers from Real Ale Brewing Company, Live Oak Brewing Company, and St. Elmo Brewing Co., among others. Each location will feature special events like a pretzel-eating contest (the winner gets free pretzels for one year!) plus stein-hoisting contest, polka bands, face painting, trivia, screen printing, and live music. No reservations needed.

Oktoberfest at Celis Brewery
September 30
For folks in North Austin, Celis Brewery will be celebrating Oktoberfest with beer and food specials — including German sausages and pretzels — face-painting, and stein-holding contests. The live music lineup starts with a DJ at 1 pm, followed by Polka band, The Hot Peppers, from 4-7 pm. No reservations needed.

Meanwhile Brewing
September 29 - October 1
Meanwhile Brewing has a packed weekend schedule with fun activities for all ages. There will be live music, Oktoberfest lager on draft all weekend, and exciting limited-edition food pairings such Bratwurst & Sauerkraut Pizza, pretzel ice cream, and Koji-brined pork schnitzel, among others. On Sunday, kids can enjoy their own stein-hoisting contest with prizes. Reserve on Eventbrite.

Loro's Oktoberfest pop-up
October 1
Loro is turning things up a notch by hosting an Oktoberfest pop-up on its patio featuring local breweries such as 512 Brewing Company, Vacancy Brewing, Meanwhile Brewing Co., and Live Oak Brewing Company. Attendees can expect Oktoberfest-inspired bites in addition to Loro’s regular Asian-inspired barbecue. Reserve on Eventbrite.

Locktoberfest (Downtown Lockhart)
October 6-8
The city of Lockhart is having an exciting Oktoberfest celebration with the launch of its first annual Locktobertfest. The weekend-long events will take place in participating shops, bars, and restaurants in the downtown area with live music, authentic German cuisine, and crafted drinks among other activities for those looking to explore the town. No reservations needed.

Austin Oktoberfest 2023
October 14
The German Texan Heritage Society is back with what the Austin Chronicle calls the “most authentic Oktoberfest in town.” The family-friendly event will feature fun activities such as pumpkin painting and bounce houses, plus live music all day at the historic German Free School. Tickets ($15, free for kids under 12) are available via Eventbrite.

Scholz Garten's Old World Wednesday series
Every Wednesday, October 25 - November 15
Another historic German spot since 1866, Scholz Garten, will have its own kind of celebration with Old World Wednesdays. Every Wednesday, patrons can expect live music from polka bands starting at 5:30 pm, plus German food and drink specials. No reservation needed.

The Loren's Oktoberfest BBQ with Brad Davis of Moody Tongue
October 26
For those who want a more upscale culinary experience, The Loren at Lady Bird Lake is hosting an Oktoberfest barbecue with renowned brewer Brad Davis of Moody Tongue as part of the hotel's ongoing Chef Series. Davis will be bringing a taste of the Michelin-starred Chicago brewery to the luxe rooftop restaurant. Reserve ($85, pre-paid) on OpenTable.

Wurstfest (New Braunfels)
November 3-12
Wurstfest will be closing the festivities with a bang — or many oom-pahs. This unique festival in New Braunfels will be honoring German culture all week long with music, carnival rides, German Texan beer, and of course, all the wurst you can eat! Admission (starting at $18) and drink tickets will be sold at the gates, but can also be purchased on Etix.

beer lists breweries barbecue festivals

Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.