Oktoberfest Theme Events For Pubs

Why not boost your profits by by running an Oktoberfest beer festival in your pub?

What is Oktoberfest?

Held in Munich, it is the Worlds largest beer festival attended by over six million people. It runs from 18th September to 4th October and has a traditional theme with lots of eating, drinking, and merriment.

Why Get Involved?

Beer festivals are becoming increasingly popular and people are always keen to try something new. Pubs that run there own Oktoberfest event see a significant boost in profits during what is usually a quiet period on the event calendar..

Ideas for Running Your Event

At the Oktoberfest festival German beer is served direct to the tables in steins. A stein holds a litre of beer and the glass variety is used rather than the old fashioned lid type. If you want to stick to traditional pints you can serve it in pitchers direct to the tables.

Girls serving the drinks wear traditional Bavarian dresses (dirndls) and the gents wear lederhosen. Encourage bar staff and customers to wear German fancy dress for the occasion to help generate an authentic and fun atmosphere.

You could also decorate the bar in traditional Oktoberfest colours (cobalt blue and white). See our Oktoberfest theme décor packs for ideas.

Oktoberfest You can play a traditional bavarian music CD or hire an Oompah band to perform at your event. However, they are in high demand at this time of the year so you will need a lot of customers to justify the cost.

The most important part of your Oktoberfest theme event is the beer. Only six brewers are allowed to supply beers at the actual festival – Lowenbrau, Spaten, Augustiner, Hofbrau, Paaulaner and Hack-Pschorr. They are all Munich based and brew special beers just for the occasion. You could buy in specialist German beers to give your customers something new to try and add authenticity to your event.

Food Ideas

Serve traditional German food (see list below). Giant pretzels, currywurst and sauerkraut are all favourites at the festival. You can place food on the bar, offer a buffet or serve a set meal. If you charge an entry fee you could include food in the price, along with the first beer.

Currywurst is made by grilling and slicing Bratwurst sausage and pouring a little warmed German curry ketchup on the pieces. Sprinkle with curry powder and serve with bread rolls. Other German foods include…