Prost! The top 12 Minnesota Oktoberfests to hit in 2025

When Gasthof zur Gemutlichkeit closed in 2020 in northeast Minneapolis, the historic German restaurant’s popular Oktoberfest celebration was also sidelined — until some new neighbors took the party over.

“We’d all been attending it since our 20s and didn’t want to see it go,” said Fulton Brewing CEO and co-founder Ryan Petz. “And obviously, beer plays a big role in it, so it fits.”

Fulton bought up a lot of the equipment and decorations and brought back the food and beer vendors from Gasthof’s big bash to host what’s now billed as Fulton Oktoberfest, scheduled over two weekends this month at Fulton’s brewing facility (not to be confused with Fulton’s North Loop taproom).

Fulton’s takeover can be called an Zeichen der Zeit — sign of the times. Once the domain of German restaurants or Germanic organizations, many Oktoberfest bashes around Minnesota are now helmed by breweries. As Petz puts it, if the boot-shaped beer stein fits ...

But not all of them are brewery-run. New Ulm and Duluth each host Oktoberfests that are more citywide parties run by different organizers. In fact, New Ulm’s event remains one of the best Oktoberfests in the country, according to a USA Today readers’ poll for many years running.

Here’s a rundown of some of the biggest and/or best Oktoberfest parties around the state. Admission is free unless otherwise noted.

The old Gasthof party lives on anew over two weekends in the parking lot outside Fulton’s production facility, which is converted into a full-fledged German beer garden with an enormous polka tent, ample German food stands, games, kid activities and even fun runs each weekend. All beer is served in steins, so bring your own or buy one on site. (Sept. 19-20, 26-27; 4-10 p.m. Fri., noon-10 p.m. Sat.; 2540 NE. 2nd St., Mpls., fultonbeer.com)

The maker of Minnesota’s most popular hefeweizen beer, Ewald the Golden, also has one of the local breweries’ most scenic beer gardens, which makes a great setting for Utepils’ two-weekend bash. Theirs includes pretzel-eating and stein-holding contests as well as live music, German food and a wedding-vows ceremony, in keeping with how Oktoberfests were born in the first place. Tickets required on Saturdays; $10 for adults, kids 12 and under free. (Sept. 19-20, 26-27; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 225 Thomas Av. N., Mpls., utepilsbrewing.com)

One of the state’s oldest brewery sites doubles as an excellent German restaurant year-round, so they really know how to roll out the barrels at this time every year to pack their beer garden with polka dancing, yodeling showcases, dance and puppet shows and truly authentic food and beers. Tickets are $10 for adults, $3 for 12 and under. (Sept. 19-21, 26-28; noon-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat., noon-6 p.m. Sun.; 445 Smith Av. N., St. Paul, waldmannbrewery.com)

Another historic brewing site in St. Paul that now doubles as a German restaurant, Yoerg eschews the big weekend bash for a monthlong festival focused on what matters most to many Oktoberfest revelers: beer. It loads up on rare German brews alongside its own in-house brands. (Daily through Sept. 30, 378 Maria Av., St. Paul, yoergbeer.com)

Housed in a former munitions manufacturing site used in World War II, the Fridley brewery’s large, historic building houses a similarly sprawling three-day indoor-outdoor party that features both polka and rock bands, German trivia, vow renewals, magicians plus the wurst kind of meat raffle. (Sept. 19-21, 4-11 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun.; 38 Northern Stacks Dr., Fridley, $5 Fri. only, forgottenstarbrewing.com)

Chaska’s family-run brewery has a year-round focus on German-style beers and emphasizes it with this family-friendly daylong event on its 3 acres of woodsy grounds. There’s music, a sausage toss, costume contests, food trucks and more. (Sept. 20, noon-10 p.m., 3700 Chaska Blvd., Chaska, schramhausbrewery.com)

Maybe because Duluth can be frozen by late September, this one happens earlier than the rest and is one weekend only — but it’s held in one of the state’s best-loved concert and party sites. German brewery Paulaner is a sponsor and dachshund races and Fliegerlied dancing are part of the fun mix. Tickets are $10-$20 for adults. (Sept. 12-14, 4-11 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun.; Bayfront Festival Park, duluthoktoberfestival.com)

Another family-owned brewery with a full-time dedication to Germanic flavors — in keeping with its host town of New Prague’s Bavarian roots — it already has an engrained Oktoberfest vibe in its taproom but gets extra German one weekend each year. There’s music, German food and more; entry fee is $5, or $25 with a commemorative stein. (Oct. 3-4, noon-10 p.m., 1306 SE. 1st St., New Prague, giesenbraubierco.com)

This 39th annual two-day celebration tests how late is too late to wear lederhosen in Minnesota, as it takes place in mid-October at a popular resort in the Brainerd Lakes area. (Oct. 17, noon-5 p.m., Oct. 18, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Ruttger’s Bay Lake Resort in Deerwood, ruttgers.com)