Where to celebrate Oktoberfest in Boston

They’re bringing a little bit of Munich to Framingham with this local brewery’s nine-day celebration (September 22 to October 1 - they’re closed Monday, September 25) of German food and beer, plus live oompah music, stein painting, a kids keg toss, pretzel eating competitions, and outdoor movies. If that wasn’t enough, the US Steinholding Association’s second annual Massachusetts State Championship will be held at the brewery on Sunday, October 1. They’re also hosting a food drive for Daniel’s Table, a local organization working to create food security, all week long. Bring a nonperishable food item and receive a coupon to come back to the Beer Hall.

Celebration dates have dropped, so you can eat, drink, and yodel at each of Night Shift’s spots. They’re brewing up a ton of German-style beers just for the weekend-long event: Owltoberfest, a German-style Helles; Prost Malone, an unfiltered Munich-Style Lager; Chill Zwickelson, a German-Style Zwickelbier; Kolsch Encounters, a German-Style Kolsch; and Dunkel John’s Band, a Munich-Style Dunkel. The Oktoberfest party starts at the Esplanade and Allston beer gardens on Friday, September 22, from 4pm to 10pm; then moves to the Everett taproom on Saturday, September 23, from noon to 11pm, for a steinholding competition; and to Lovejoy Wharf on Sunday, September 24, from noon to 8pm with a plentiful selection of brats, pretzels and more fun foods.

The Oktoberfest party at this local brewery features three days of celebration and showcases four new releases of German-style beers: Festbier, Helles, Dunkelweizen, and Schwarzbier. Beginning Friday, September 15, and running through Sunday, September 17, from 11:30am to 11pm there will be beer releases, full liter pours, beer-braised brats and barbecue from Dorchester's in-house M&M BBQ, steinholding and bratwurst eating competitions (complete with prizes), and live music from traditional German bier hall bands.

The Boston Brewery will be kicking off the weekend with a VIP Oktoberfest Beer Dinner in the Bier Keller at the 30 Germania Street brewery on Thursday, September 21, and events throughout the following three days will be held at the taproom and include the debut of fest-style Festbier and Wheelhaus Dunkel (made with Eastern Standard Provisions’ pretzels to pump up the bready notes); brat handpies; steinhoisting; and live music.  

Cambridge’s legendary Oktoberfest takes place Sunday, October 8, during Indigenous People's Day (previously Columbus Day) weekend with multiple beer gardens, food vendors, street performers, live music, local store sidewalk sales, arts and crafts vendors, and family-friendly activities. During the celebration is the huge HONK! music parade, the feature in the cap of the three-day HONK! Festival of Activist Street Bands also held the same weekend.