The Ultimate Guide to Tulsa Oktoberfest

Make the most of Tulsa\’s best Bavarian beer fest!

Well, friends, it’s time to don your dirndls and raise your Steins. Tulsa Oktoberfest is right around the corner. Prost!

While the official Tulsa Oktoberfest doesn’t start until October 19th, there\’s no shortage of ways to enjoy beer-related festivities in the month leading up to the big event. Below, I’ll share tips on how to make the most of your Oktoberfest experience, why you should volunteer and how to determine which pre-Oktoberfest events you beer lovers should attend.

With its promise of over 300 German beers (and just under a week to try them all!), this annual festival has been named Top Five Oktoberfests by USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler Magazine, and Orbitz for good reason. Every year, tens of thousands of people attend Tulsa Oktoberfest, completely transforming the River West Festival Park into a spectacle of Bavarian culture, German bands, table dancing, schnitzel as far as the eye can see, and, of course, beer, beer and more glorious beer. Heck! The infamous chicken dance made its world debut right here in Tulsa at Oktoberfest 1981!

How to Enjoy Tulsa Oktoberfest
Volunteering
Festival Schedule
Tickets
Transportation
Pre-Oktoberfest Celebrations

How to Enjoy Oktoberfest

With polka music blaring from the main Zelts (tents) and hundreds of beers flowing freely, the Oktoberfest grounds offer endless entertainment. Catch a show at Das Glockenspiel: a larger-than-life clock towering above the main courtyard. The clock doubles as a stage for hourly Bavarian songs and skits that are always closed out with the performers throwing free swag like beads and koozies into the jumping crowd.

Those with a competitive streak can sign up a team of friends or coworkers for the Bavarian Cup and compete in a beer barrel race among other games or cheer on their favorite weiner dog in the Dachshund Dash.

Despite the beer drinking and table dancing, Oktoberfest is surprisingly family friendly. If you have kids in tow, head over to the Der KinderPlatz for daily entertainment, magic shows, crafts and more. Once your kids have finished their masterpieces, take them to the merry-go-round at the Carnival, where kids 12-and-under get in for free as long as they’re accompanied by parents or guardians.

There’s truly something for everyone at Oktoberfest, but here are my general tips on enjoying your time at the festival.

Dress the Part: If you\’re feeling festive, dress up in traditional German attire like the lederhosen or dirndl. There are chain costume stores that will sell them, but you can also be hardcore and buy the authentic threads. I know I’m getting a real-deal dirndl this year.
Snag a Table Early: The tables inside the big tents fill up fast! If you’re set on having a spot for your group, get to the tent early and spread out across a table. This is especially useful for big groups if a few people can get there first.
Come Hungry: Just the smell of this Bavarian food will have you drooling in minutes. Spend your four days feasting on bratwurst, schnitzel, spaetzle, strudel, latkes, pretzels and more. Can’t go wrong with Siegi\’s Sausage Factory and Ludger\’s Bavarian Cakery.
Look out for Pennies: For the love of god, if you’re in one of the big tents: cover your beer! If you’re not careful, people will try to chuck pennies into your glass, which means you might end up drinking your bus fare. Tossing dirty floor pennies into strangers’ beers may seem odd, but it’s a Tulsa Oktoberfest tradition you should be prepared for.
Strudel to Go: When you’re partied out and ready to head home, stop by one of the food stands to grab a strudel to enjoy for the next day’s breakfast. Trust me.

See general rules and guidelines for Oktoberfest here.

Volunteering:

Not everyone knows this, but Tulsa Oktoberfest is actually a non-profit organization and, each year, the event is planned by a group of over 100 organizers. As you can imagine, nonprofits thrive on volunteer participation. Not only is volunteering for Oktoberfest a fun way to get involved and meet new people, you’ll also score a free day of entry plus other goodies like a $30 voucher you can use anywhere during the event. I don’t want to give away all the perks in case they change year-to-year, but past years have included a post-festival volunteer party.

Some of the shift options include working Corporate Night on Wednesday, which is the biggest fundraiser for Tulsa Oktoberfest.

If you’re genuinely interested in volunteering, you can sign up here.

October 17th – 22nd: OKTOBERFEST!!!

Everything You Need to Know:

The Schedule

17th TUESDAY: 6:00pm-10:00pm (Biermeister\’s Ball)

18th WEDNESDAY: 5:00pm-11:00pm (Corporate Night)

19th THURSDAY: 4:00pm–11:00pm

20th FRIDAY: 11:00am-1:00am (FREE admission from 11:00am–4:00pm)

21st SATURDAY: 11:00am–1:00am

22nd SUNDAY: 11:00am–6:00pm

The Tickets

Tickets start at $15 for a single day’s admission, or $155 for a VIP experience. If you opt for the basic package, there are plenty of à la carte add-ons available for an extra fee. Friday has free admission for everybody from 11am to 4pm. After 4pm you’ll need a ticket to get in.

All variety of tickets are available to purchase here.

Transportation: All Aboard die Schnellbusse!

Leave the car at home and take advantage of free shuttles organized by the Oktoberfest “Schnelle Fahrt.” Seriously: Leave the car at home! There is ZERO onsite parking and attendees are heavily discouraged from parking in nearby neighborhoods.

Check out the official Oktoberfest Schnelle Fahrt page for more information on transportation

Your best bet is to park near one of the free shuttle pick-up spots with your friends (decide on the designated driver beforehand) and simply take die Schnellbusse.

Don’t want to take the shuttle? You’re in luck. You can bike to Oktoberfest and valet park it on site, park on the other side of the river and walk over the bridge to the event, or you can take an Uber or Lyft. Fair warning: Ubers and Lyfts will be harder to book and the ones you do book, will be more expensive than they usually are.

Shuttles start running 30 minutes before the event opens and keep running until everyone has left the Oktoberfest grounds.

The Unofficial Oktoberfest Pre-Gaming

September 23rd: The fall festivities kick off on with a double whammy: Vibe Independent Beer Fest and Cabin Boys Brewery get into the spirit(s) with their own Oktoberfest celebrations.

October 7th: hop (and bop?) on down to Broken Arrow for Hops, Bops & Bites.

October 13-14th: Welltown Oktoberfest brings brews, food and axe throwing to get you primed for the main event. Lederhosen encouraged.

October 14th: The 13th Annual McNellie\’s Harvest Beer Festival is back, y’all!

October 17th: For a touch of elegance, consider buying a ticket to the Biermeister\’s Ball to sample a true München Oktoberfest meal of Wurstbrett (charcuterie board), roasted chicken and German sausages while enjoying live German entertainment.

October 18th: Corporate Night, or Gemütlichkeit!, is the biggest fundraiser of the year for Oktoberfest. Each table purchase supports the organizers’ efforts to bring the event to life and tickets are only available in advance. The event promises a more exclusive opportunity to network and enjoy games, competitions and unique foods. Hint hint to business owners: Corporate Night also boosts team morale.

Whenever: If you’re looking for something more relaxed, grab a pale ale at one of Tulsa’s many craft breweries and beer halls, like the brand new Renaissance. You can also pay a visit to the long-standing Marshall Brewing Company, which was founded by brewmaster Eric Marshall. Marshall studied the art of brewing in Munich, Germany. I recommend the pilsner.

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