It’s finally fall (sort of), and Oktoberfest leads us into the season with celebrations across the region. Pittsburgh doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to honoring the Munich tradition, which has evolved from a Bavarian king’s nuptials in 1810 to the world’s largest multi-week beer and folk festival. This year, Pittsburgh’s Oktoberfest season — which stretches far beyond the Munich fest, running from late August through early October — offers a little bit of something for everyone. Revel in Oktoberfest at traditional brewery bashes with festbiers galore, opt for some vegan sausage, try smoked beer, fresh-baked pretzels, or a five-course German beer dinner, or raise a stein for the return of last year’s famed Ferris wheel to Downtown.
Penn Brewery
800 Vinial St., North Side. pennbrew.com
It’s not difficult to bring a bit of Bavaria to Penn Brewery. Originally founded in 1848 by German immigrants, the North Side institution transforms its cobblestone biergarten and “four festive floors” into “a little slice of Munich” for two weekends, from Fri. Sept. 19-Sat., Sept. 20, and Fri., Sept. 26-Sat., Sept. 27. Family Sundays on Sept. 21 and 28 will feature live entertainment and free horse-drawn carriage rides through Deutschtown.
Throughout the festival, revelers can enjoy fresh brews, including the brewery’s Oktoberfest, a Munich-style festbier, and a new seasonal collab with Soergel Orchards, Penn Pumpkin Shandy. Soak up the libations with German eats including schnitzel, sausage baguettes, pretzels, sauerkraut, and more, while hearing live polka music both weekends. Admission and parking are free, but VIP tickets (starting at $80) with perks like city-view seating are available.
Washington County Pennsylvania Bavarian Oktoberfest
Pike St., Canonsburg. visitwashingtoncountypa.com/pennsylvania-bavarian-oktoberfest
German festivities take over an entire downtown at Canonsburg’s Pennsylvania Bavarian Oktoberfest. Taking place Fri., Sept. 19-Sun., Sept. 21, the family-friendly celebration in Washington County has been running for more than 20 years and imitates a German village in homage to the region’s heritage. The Bavarian Oktoberfest includes an assortment of beers, a German and American food court, carnival rides and games, two stages featuring both traditional German and pop music, a children’s craft area, and more.
Golden Age Beer Co.
337 E. 8th Ave., Homestead. goldenagebeer.com
Declaring itself “your headquarters for the greatest time of the year,” Golden Age Beer gives Munich Oktoberfest a run for its money, bringing Pittsburghers 16 days of Oktoberfest celebration. On Fri., Sept. 19 at 5 p.m., the German lager brewery and biergarten kicks off with a gravity keg-tapping ceremony called “O’Zapft Is!”— old Bavarian for “it is tapped” — that models Oktoberfest’s opening ceremony in Munich. Then, from Sat., Sept. 20-Sun., Oct. 5, the brewery will launch four Oktoberfest beers, host a “Gute Nacht, Oktoberfest” beer industry celebration with sparklers, and offer German food, polka, and live bands nightly. Follow Golden Age’s Instagram page for event updates.
Troy Hill Citizens
1619 Lowry St., Troy Hill. troyhillpittsburgh.com
With its deep German heritage, you can’t go wrong celebrating Oktoberfest on the North Side. Pigtoberfest — a reference Rialto Street’s history as “Pig Hill”— returns to Troy Hill on Sat., Sept. 20 from 12-5 p.m. The community festival features food, drinks, live music, vendors, games, and more, along with a chance to “see our hill in all of its glory.” Follow the Pigtoberfest event page for updates.
Two Frays Brewery x Third Space Bakery x Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
5113 Penn Ave., Garfield. twofraysbrewery.com
While beer often steals the show, pretzels are an Oktoberfest tradition. On Wed., Sept. 24 from 6-8 p.m., Two Frays and Third Space Bakery bring you the best of both worlds at a community Oktoberfest and fundraiser. Third Space will sell pretzels, beer cheese, and mustard, while Two Frays will offer its Oktoberfest beer, a special edition Yinzling Amber Ale brewed with Third Space pretzels. Proceeds from the beer benefit the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
Oktoberfest Pittsburgh
Downtown. oktpgh.com
Oktoberfest Pittsburgh rounds out the season when it returns to Downtown for 11 days, Ferris wheel and all. From Thu., Oct. 2-Sun., Oct. 12, “raise one by the river” with an expanded celebration designed to “bring the spirit of Munich to Pittsburgh” along Ft. Duquesne Boulevard and the Sixth Street Bridge. Oktoberfest Pittsburgh promises a vibrant Bavarian experience complete with classic cuisine like bratwurst and pretzels, live entertainment including oom-pah bands, Bavarian-style musicians, and accordion players, and the much-discussed Karneval games and river-facing Ferris wheel from last year’s inaugural event. General admission is free, but certain activities require tickets; see the festival’s website for details.
East End Brewing
651 Washington Rd., Mt. Lebanon. eastendbrewing.com
East End Brewing says “Prost!” with four days of Oktoberfest at its Mt. Lebanon taproom. From Wed., Sept. 24-Sun., Sept. 28, the brewery will feature two special pizzas — including a garlic oil, bacon, and Gruyere cheese pie called “What’s Kuchen?” for fans of German puns — apple pie-spiced pretzels, and a trio of guest beer taps to complement its Oktoberfest Marzen, a collab with TRASH Homebrewer competition winner Zach Kosslow. No tickets or reservations are required.
East End will also host Smoketoberfest, its “festival of all things smoked,” at its pop-up beer garden on Sat., Oct. 18. The 12th annual Smoketoberfest includes smoked beers from Burghers, Golden Age Beer, Spoonwood Brewing Company, and others, “delectable smoked plates” from Blowfish BBQ and Sahar’s Food Lab, and live music to “smoke your ears.” A digital ticket (starting at $40) includes access to the festival, a dish from each food vendor, a commemorative mug, and a drink ticket good for two half pours or one full pour of smoked beer (meat and veggie options are available).
Cinderlands Warehouse x Butterjoint
2601 Smallman St., Strip District. cinderlands.com
Get the best of Oktoberfest in one meal when Cinderlands and Butterjoint host a German-inspired collaborative beer dinner. On Thu., Sept. 25 at 6:30p.m., the restaurants will team up to serve a five-course dinner paired with Cinderlands beers and a special Butterjoint cocktail. Menu highlights include Bavarian bites with Cinderfest Festbier, wild mushrooms with Cinderlands’ Feurig smoked black lager, cod schnitzel, a “sausage party and archive,” and a maple-baked goat cheese tart with Masloff Märzen. Tickets cost $122 with gratuity included.
If stein-hoisting is more your speed, on Thu., Oct. 2, Cinderfest returns to Cinderlands Warehouse. Join for live music, a best-dressed dirndl and lederhosen runway show, flower crowns, German food from Cinderlands’ scratch kitchen, and, yes, competitive stein-hoisting. Tickets cost $10.
Pittsburgh Vegan Expo VOktoberfest
2120 Jane St., South Side. pittsburghvegan.com/voktoberfest
Oktoberfest can go heavy on the sausage, but organizers from the Pittsburgh Vegan Expo have you covered. The third annual VOktoberfest, billed as Pittsburgh’s only vegan Oktoberfest, returns to Velum Fermentation on Sat., Sept. 27. The “high-energy celebration of vegan food, fun, and music” brings a lineup of plant-based Oktoberfest dishes including brats, meats, hot dogs, and pretzels from The Library on Carson, vegan pierogies from Cleveland’s Pierogi Palace, and non-traditional options from Sahar’s Food Lab, Sushi Tomo, and more. Velum will serve craft beer, while hosting live music from The Polkamaniacs, a doggie costume contest, and a local vendor fair. The event is free.
Pittsburgh Brewing Company
150 Ferry St., Creighton. pittsburghbrewing.com
Pittsburgh Brewing Company already kicked off its Oktoberfest, with a second day of beer, German food, and celebration along the Allegheny River planned for Sat., Sept. 27.
But for those who want a bit of cultural exchange, on Sun., Sept. 28, you can watch the Steelers make history with the first-ever NFL regular season game in Ireland. Join for a “Kegs & Eggs” Dublin Game Watch Party when doors open bright and early at 7 a.m. ahead of kickoff. The all-day bash features breakfast, coffee and food trucks, comedy and a halftime show, “plenty of game-day energy,” and a lineup of beers including the brewery’s limited-release lager, Herman’s Best Oktoberfest. General admission tickets cost $10.
Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh
2705 S. Water St., South Side. hofbrauhauspittsburgh.com
Really, it’s always Oktoberfest at Hofbräuhaus (down to the Bavarian blue-and-white checkered everything), but the German brewery goes even bigger in September. Each weekend through Sun., Sept. 28, along with its traditional German dishes and beer, Hofbräuhaus toasts Oktoberfest with live music in its bier hall and biergarten, stein-raising sing-alongs, special “savory bites,” and balloon artists, face painting, and magicians for kids. Follow Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh’s Instagram page for weekly event information.
Eleventh Hour Brewing Co.
3711 Charlotte St., Lawrenceville. 11thhourbrews.com
Why not celebrate Oktoberfest in a Bavarian village right here in Pittsburgh? On select days through Sat., Oct. 4, Eleventh Hour Brewing brings festbier, live music, games, pretzels, and more, to the traditional German village tucked next to its Lawrenceville taproom. Once part of the gas light manufacturing plant owned by Charles Brown, who built the famed Bayernhof Museum, you can break out your lederhosen and dirndls in a room with an Alpine-style Milch and Kase (milk and cheese shop) display and Black Forest skyscape.
Beers of the Burgh
2801 S. Water St., South Side. beersoftheburgh.com
For those wanting to break away from pretzels and polka, Beers of the Burgh brings the fourth Rocktoberfest to the SouthSide Works on Sun., Oct. 5. The event is free this year, and promises Oktoberfest staples — food, outdoor revelry, dancing, and an array of local beers — along with “a little local flavor,” i.e., face-melting live bands across two stages. For this one, you can ditch the lederhosen.
