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Oktoberfest in Nebraska 2024
Below are the Nebraska Oktoberfest celebrations that we’ve found for 2024. With every county being home to a heavy German population (about 25% of the population claims German descent), and several counties in Nebraska boasting 40% (or more) of the population hailing from German ancestors, you can expect some great parties this fall!
In the process of updating for 2024, looks like plenty of great Oktoberfest parties running all the way up to November to enjoy, so Prost!
All events showing current dates need to be verified to confirm that changes to the schedule were not made by the organizers after publication here. We do not run these events, and would hate for anyone to go out of their way only to find the event had been canceled after releasing a date. Please click through to the event website to confirm! Be safe and have a great fall!
2024 Events
Norfolk Oktoberfest - Norfolk, NE - Sep 20 to Sep 21, 2024
Today, Northeast Nebraska residents celebrate the area’s German heritage and the fall harvest with this two-day family festival also held in September. Oktoberfest grows yearly with live music, German food, beer garden, and family entertainment. Held in conjunction with the Lion’s Club Parade and the River Point Arts Festival, this unique festival is a must attend!
Sidney Oktoberfest - Sidney, NE - Oct 4 to Oct 6, 2024
A three day festival with beer, food, live bands and entertainment, parade, craft show, and Running of the Wiener’s Dog Races. It is held annually on the first full weekend in October and is one of the most popular festivals in Western Nebraska. There’s even a custom auto show with Friday as cruising night. The Rod and Roll show is held on Saturday in Legion Park at the baseball field. Typically starts with keg tapping Friday at noon. Dances are held on both Friday and Saturday nights. Saturday starts with a parade at 10 AM featuring antique cars, community floats, clowns and marching bands. A high school band competition is held Saturday afternoon at the Sidney High School football field. Horseshoe tournament and dachshund races are held on Sunday.
For more Oktoberfest festivals, look at the following surrounding states for more parties: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota and Wyoming.
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Past Events
Arbor Day Farm’s Oktoberfest - Nebraska City, NE - Oct 20, 2023
Enjoy an authentic German meal paired with a German beer while dancing to your favorite German music. Cash bar available with additional German beers or other drinks. 21+ event
Huber-Haus Oktoberfest at Beer Corner USA - Omaha, NE - Sep 22 to Sep 24, 2023
This is an authentic German beer bar with Bavarian pub food that throws an Omaha Oktoberfest. It hosts a two day family friendly Oktoberfest celebration with ceremonial keg tapping, live German music, German beers on tap and German food. Beer on tap from Hofbrau, Spaten, Warsteiner, Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr and Weihenstephaner. Food will include brats, chicken schnitzel, pretzels, desserts and more. 2016 will be their 15th annual festival. Admission is free. Location: 36th & Farnam Street, Omaha, NE
Piedmont Oktoberfest - Lincoln, NE - Oct 8, 2022
The event is from 5-11 PM. The package prices are now $25 for the basic and $40 for the VIP package. 21+ event
German-American Society German Day Oktoberfest - Omaha, NE - Sep 16 to Sep 17, 2022
The German-American Society of Omaha, Nebraska hosts an annual Oktoberfest weekend with German food, beer, ceremonial tapping of the keg, live music, dancing, arcade games and face painting for kids. Admission is $5 for adults.
We hope you enjoy these celebrations of Oktoberfest. Let us know below which one you've headed to and which one you like the best!
We have added maps with the locations of each Oktoberfest. We may not have had the exact location for each Oktoberfest so in some instances we have placed the marker in the general vicinity of the Oktoberfest. Be sure to get specific directions from another source and do not solely rely on our map at the moment. We have also noticed that the markers may not show up on some mobile browsers. We will work to sort out this bug in the future.
Please confirm dates, locations and activities available at the Oktoberfest before going. That's one reason that we provide a website address when we find one. We attempt to ensure that the information for each Oktoberfest is accurate but there are bound to be a few errors. If you let us know when you find one, we will fix it. In some cases, we may link to last year's event when information for this year is not yet available. Do not be fooled.
The festivals listed range in size. Some events may have hundreds of thousands of attendees. Others may have only a handful. We're sorry that we don't have more information about attendance numbers at the moment. We will do our best to add this information as time goes on.
Professionalism varies as well. Some Oktoberfests are professional operations with large budgets. Others are local operations run by volunteers. Do your due diligence before making plans to attend so that you know what to expect. We will happily publish information about your experience with any Oktoberfest so that our visitors will be better informed in the future.
Some Oktoberfests are more family friendly than others. If you have small children, look for an Oktoberfest that has activities for kids. Other events start out with family friendly activities and become more adult oriented as it becomes later in the evening.
Not all Oktoberfest celebrations will be authentic German festival experiences. Some may simply be an excuse to drink rather than celebrate German heritage. Some may call themselves Oktoberfest but provide local or seasonal beer rather than authentic German Oktoberfest beer. Be sure to consider the type of celebration that you are looking to attend when you pick your Oktoberfest.
Activities offered at each Oktoberfest varies. Some activities that you may find are parades, keg tapping ceremony, beer gardens, Miss Oktoberfest or costume contests, stein holding contests, bratwurst eating contest, chicken dance, wiener races, keg toss, live German bands and local entertainment, polka dancing and fairground games. Some Oktoberfest events will just have beer and brats.
Please don't drink and drive. We want everyone to get home safe. Use a designated driver or take public transportation. Uber and Lyft often offer ride credits for new users.
We've got some other resources that would help you prepare for Oktoberfest as well. Read about the history of Oktoberfest. Learn about Oktoberfest beer. Find the words to Oktoberfest music. Plan your Oktoberfest outfit. And try cooking some of these Oktoberfest recipes.
Do you run one of the Oktoberfests listed? Feel free to send us additional information and we will add it. We apologize for any errors: send us corrections or updates if you find them! We also love to list new Oktoberfests, and have advertising solutions if you'd like to reach a wider audience.
Find other fun things to do in Nebraska in fall:
Nebraska Festivals
Nebraska Corn Mazes
Nebraska Ghost Tours
Haunted Houses in Nebraska
Pumpkin Patches in Nebraska
Norfolk Oktoberfest Family Festival will be held Friday Sept. 21 through Sunday, Sept. 23 in Downtown Norfolk, Nebraska. Two popular fall events, the Lions Club parade, and the Riverpoint Arts Festival, will fall under the umbrella of the Oktoberfest Family Festival, but they will maintain their individual names and traditions. The parade travels through downtown Norfolk, and the arts festival is in Johnson Park.
A special “Oktoberfest” beer will be brewed just for this event! Traditional German and contemporary bands will perform under a tent set up on the parking lot behind the Norfolk Are Chamber of Commerce building at Seventh Street and Norfolk Avenue. Food vendors will, serve authentic German foods. An inflatable midway will be available for children.
Norfolk’s Oktoberfest: Celebrating German Heritage and the Fall Harvest
Norfolk’s beginning lies in Germany. In the 1850s, a number of German families decided to leave their native land for new life and freedom in America, seeking out the Upper Midwest for its promise of fertile farmlands. In 1865, a group of German Lutheran families, having stopped first in Wisconsin, looked westward for a permanent home.
Just months after the Civil War ended, they settled upon the “North Fork” of the Elkhorn River – modern-day Norfolk. They made homes, built churches and schools, farmed the land, and celebrated the many blessings of their new homeland. Today we renew and continue the celebration, honoring our German immigrant heritage and celebrating – as our ancestors did not so long ago – the many fruits of the fall harvest. We invite you to enjoy Norfolk’s inaugural Oktoberfest Family Festival September 21 and 22 in the heart of downtown Norfolk.
Join us!
The best Oktobeerfest in Nebraska is held each October in Lincoln, NE at the Lancaster County Convention Center 84th and Havelock Avenue to benefit the Nebraska Stroke Association. This year the 21st Oktobeerfest will be Thursday Oct 9th. Last year it featured over 200 beers from all over the world, Bagpipers, Wilbur Czech Alumni band, and much more entertainment. Food sampling included in the price from over 25 top area restaurants and caters. Great auction, free ride home, and much more. See why brewers and beer drinkers agree this is a very special event not to be missed. Over a 1,000 people attended the 2013 event and all enjoyed a fantastic festival.
How do we get our October fest on your website? This will be our second year, we live in Western Ne. in a Germans from Russia area and are tying to re-new the interest. Last year was a success, so good we are moving it to a larger venue. Please contact me for further details.
We attended the Octoberfest at Lucky Bucket it was a really good time. What I liked most was everyone was curtious and everyone was having a good time. I was nice and the music was fun. the setting was nice not crowded.