September 2013 Events
August 29-2: Key West Brew Fest, Key West, FL
The Southernmost Hotel Collection, together with the Key West Sunrise Rotary of the Conch Republic, presents the fourth annual Key West BrewFest. It will take place at several locations in Key West. The signature event, on Saturday, is the Grand Tasting on South Beach, with more than 150 beers served on the beach (VIP tickets are available). Other events over the weekend include a kickoff party at the Smokin' Tuna Saloon, Kona and Samuel Adams beer dinners, beer and food pairings, an educational program, pool parties, and tap takeovers.
August 30-1: Bierbörse, Karlsruhe, Germany
The 12th annual Karlsruhe edition of Bierboerse, a series of beer festivals held across Germany, will take place at Schlossgarten. Hundreds of beers, including hard-to-find German microbrews, will be served in a Biergarten atmosphere. There will also be food and live entertainment, breweriana, and artisans' stands. The Bierboerse website is entirely in German.
August 30-7: Choctaw Oktoberfest, Choctaw, OK
Old Germany Restaurant, the City of Choctaw, and the Choctaw Chamber present the 2013 Choctaw Oktoberfest, which will take place at Choctaw Creek Park. This nine-day celebration, to be held under tents in a 160-acre park, will feature German beer and wine; traditional food prepared by Old Germany; live music and dancing every day; and a huge children's area.
August 30-2: Cleveland Labor Day Oktoberfest, Berea, OH
The 2013 Cleveland Labor Day Oktoberfest will be held at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds in Berea. The four-day celebration will include German food, beer, and entertainment; ; local musicians and German dance groups; games and competitions; children's activities; and midway attractions. Admission and parking are free.
August 30-2: La Fete Bieres et Saveurs, Chambly, QC, Canada
La Fete Bieres et Saveurs (the Beer and Flavour Fest) will be held at historic Fort Chambly, on the banks of the Richelieu River near the center of Montreal. This event will feature beer from local microbreweries and homebrewers; Quebec cheese, wine, and cider, and other food products; appearances by local chefs; artisans and craftspeople; children's activities; live music; and acrobats, magicians, and other entertainers. The festival website is entirely in French.
6-7: Burbage Beer Festival, Burbage, England
The Burbage & Easton Royal Sports Club presents the 17th annual Burbage Beer Festival, which will take place at the Red Lion Field Marquee. Recent editions of this festival have featured more than 25 casks of Real Ale, along with a selection of ciders; live music, a hog roast, and a barbecue on Friday evening; an all-day session on Saturday with beer and cider tasting in the marquee; six-a-side cricket; live entertainment; and barbecue.
6-7: Great Canadian Beer Festival, Victoria, BC, Canada
The 21st annual Great Canadian Beer Festival will be held at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria. Recent editions of this festival have featured beer from more than 55 craft breweries from across Canada, the U.S. Northwest, and Belgium, along with continuous entertainment by local performers and food from local restaurants and caterers. Last year's festival sold out.
6-8: Oktoberfest des Quebecois, Masouche, QC, Canada
The eighth annual Oktoberfest des Quebecois will be held in Mascouche, an outskirt city of Montreal located on the Etang-du-Grand-Coteau. The weekend-long festival, described as "the most important week-end Bavarian festival in eastern Canada," is a traditional Bavarian family-style event with more than 140 beers, most of them from Quebec, along with traditional food kiosks, amusement park games, musicians, and Bavarian dancers. Three-day passports are available.
7: California Beer Festival-Claremont/San Dimas, San Dimas, CA
California Beer Festival, LLC, presents the 2013 San Dimas edition of the California Beer Festival, which will take place at Frank G. Bonelli Park in San Dimas. Last year's festival was an afternoon event that featured more than 70 craft-brewed beers, live music, and food and merchandise vendors. VIP tickets, with early admission, a special selection of beers, and brewers in attendance, are available.
7: Gold Beach Brew & Art Fest, Gold Beach, OR
The sixth annual Gold Beach Brew & Art Fest will be held at the Event Center on the Beach (Curry County Fairgrounds) in Gold Beach. This day-long event will feature an expanded selection of craft beers (there were 45 at last year's festival). There will be live music on two stages, along with a display of classic cars. Food will be available for purchase, and Oregon coast artists and artisans will be on hand with their work. All proceeds from the festival will go to charity.
7: Tacoma Craft Beer Festival, Tacoma, WA
The fifth annual Tacoma Craft Beer Festival will be held at a new venue, the field at Cheney Stadium. This day-long event, which organizers describe as the state's largest one-day beer festival, will feature the products of more than 70 craft breweries. There will be live entertainment, food will be available for purchase, and there will be games. All profits will be donated to the American Heart Association.
12-14: Hinckley CAMRA Beer Festival, Hinckley, England
The Hinckley & Bosworth Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale presents the sixth annual Hinckley CAMRA Beer Festival, which will take place at The Atkins Building in Hinckley. Last year's festival featured 66 Real Ales, most of them LocAles, along with 23 ciders and perries; food at all sessions, and live music Friday evening.
12-15: Mt. Angel Oktoberfest, Mt. Angel, OR
The 48th annual Mt. Angel Oktoberfest will be held in the village of Mt. Angel, a community settled by German pioneers. The celebration, which has been described as "Oregon's largest folk festival," will feature a traditional Biergarten along with a Weingarten and an Alpinegarten; continuous live music on four stages, with more than 30 acts; more than 50 Alpine food chalets, serving a variety of ethnic foods; street dancing on Friday and Saturday night; a free Kindergarten with rides and shows; and arts and crafts and "Cruz-n-Car" shows.
13-14: Cincy Beer Fest @ Fountain Square, Cincinnati, OH
CincyBeerFest presents the 2013 Cincy Beer Fest @ Fountain Square, which will take place downtown at Fountain Square and surrounding streets. There will be an expanded selection of more than 300 craft beers. Live musical acts are scheduled to perform, and food and merchandise vendors will be on hand. Festival-goers may attend this year's festival on either a "pay-one-price" or a "pay-as-you-go" basis. All proceeds will benefit the Big Joe Duskin Music Foundation, which brings music education to underfunded schools.
13-14: Cuddington Beer Festival, Worcester Park, England
The 2013 Cuddington Beer Festival will be held at Rowe Hall in Worcester Park. This two-day, three-session event will feature more than 30 ales and ciders. Food will be available at all sessions. The festival is a fund-raiser for the 2nd Cuddington Scout Group.
13: Friday the Firkenteenth, Philadelphia, PA
Friday the Firkenteenth, held at the Grey Lodge in Philadelphia, has become a Friday the 13th tradition, with 20 or more firkins of cask-conditioned beer to sample. This is the only known beer event in the world whose frequency and timing are entirely at the mercy of the calendar.
14: Pretzel City Brew Fest, Freeport, IL
The 2013 Pretzel City Brew Fest will be held in downtown Freeport, "Pretzel City, USA." The festival, which is a fund-raiser for the Freeport Downtown Development Foundation, will feature a variety of beers, including beer from five local breweries; a selection of wines; and local food vendors. VIP tickets, with early admission, are available.
14: Rome Beer Festival, Rome, GA
The sixth annual Rome Beer Festival will be held at Heritage Park. This afternoon, which supports the Rome Council for the Arts, will feature more than 80 beers, many of them from Georgia and the Southeast. Four live bands are scheduled to perform, and food vendors will be on hand. VIP tickets, with early admission and a T-shirt and swag bag, are available.
19-22: Frankenmuth Oktoberfest, Frankenmuth, MI
Frankenmuth Festivals presents the 2013 Frankenmuth Oktoberfest, which will take place at Heritage Park in the Bavarian-themed town of Frankenmuth. The festival, officially sanctioned by the Lord Mayor of Munich, will feature cold beer; music and dancing; traditional entertainment, including Schuhplattler dancers and oom-pah bands; German food; a wiener dog race; children's activities; and a Sunday worship service in German.
20-22: Chippewa Falls Oktoberfest, Chippewa Falls, WI
The 11th annual Chippewa Falls Oktoberfest will be held at the Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. This a traditional Oktoberfest-style celebration, which opens with the tapping of the Golden Keg and includes German beer and food. Festivities include a variety of musical performers and other entertainers, family and children's activities, and a Sunday polka worship service.
20-23: Fremont Oktoberfest, Seattle, WA
Fremont Oktoberfest 2013 will be held on North 35th Street in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood. The highly-acclaimed three-day festival will feature an Oktoberfest Village, a Tasting Garden with beer from more than 40 breweries; a Buxom Beer Garden, with one-liter servings; live music on two stages; a chainsaw pumpkin carving exhibition; Sunday Dogtoberfest activities; an Oktoberfest Village With Kids area; the Buxom Royalty Contest Friday evening; a 5-K run; and Dogtoberfest activities on Sunday. Part of the proceeds will go to the Fremont Chamber of Commerce.
20-22: Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, Cincinnati, OH
The 38th annual Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, America's largest event of its kind, will be held in downtown Cincinnati. In addition to German beer, food, and music, the festivities include the ceremonial keg tapping and parade; the Gemutlichkeit Games and the Running of the Wieners; and offbeat family events, headlined by the world's largest Chicken Dance and world's largest kazoo band, led by a celebrity Grand Marshal. Admission is free.
20: San Diego Festival of Beer, San Diego, CA
The 18th annual San Diego Festival of Beer will be held downtown at Columbia and B Streets. This evening event will feature beer from more than 60 breweries, plus a selection of wines, live entertainment by four live bands, and food for purchase. The festival is a benefit for San Diego Professionals Against Cancer.
21: Bikes and Brews, Canon City, CO
Fremont Adventure Recreation and Red Canyon Cycles present Bikes and Brews 2013, which will take place in Canon City. Bikes and Brews consists of two events: the Royal Gorge Century Ride bicycle race, with 50-K and metric routes as well; and after the race, Micros on Macon, an afternoon event featuring craft beer from southern Colorado.
21-22: California Beer Festival-Ventura, Ventura, CA
California Beer Festival, LLC, presents the 2013 Ventura edition of the California Beer Festival, which will take place at Mission Park in downtown Ventura. This two-day event is the original California Beer Festival. Saturday session, "Craft Beer Heaven," will feature more than 70 craft beers, live entertainment on two stages, and food from local restaurants and food trucks. Sunday's session, "Blues, Brews & BBQ," will showcase legendary blues acts, barbecue teams competing for cash prizes, and craft beer available for purchase.
21: Logan Square Beer Fest, Chicago, IL
The 2013 Logan Square Beer Fest will be held at Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago. This intimate afternoon event will feature 40 to 50 beers from over 20 breweries, most of them from the Midwest. The lineup will include barrel-aged, cask-conditioned, and collaboration beers. VIP tickets, with early admission, are available.
21-October 6: Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
Oktoberfest is the world's largest and most famous beer festival. Need we say more?
21: Octobrewfest, Boardman, OH
SunCoEntertainment, the organizers of The Big Tap In, present the inaugural Octobrewfest, which will take place at the Shepherd Event Center in Boardman. This afternoon indoor event will feature a variety of fall seasonals, including German-style, pumpkin, and cask beers. There will also be locally-sourced harvest food, polka music, games, and competitions. The festival benefits Making Kids Count.
27-October 13: Cannstatt Beer Festival, Stuttgart, Germany
The Cannstatt Beer Festival, which has been described as the "world's largest folk festival," will be held at Canstatt Wasen, Stuttgart's festival grounds. The festival, which dates back to 1818, begins with the ceremonial keg tapping and folkloric entertainment. The festivities also include beer tents, The Black Forest Experience, amusement rides, merchandise for sale, and fireworks and laser shows. The festival website is entirely in German.
28: Kingsport Oktoberfest, Kingsport, TN
The third annual Kingsport Oktoberfest will be held in downtown Kingsport. This all-day event will feature more than 100 craft-brewed beers, including rare and cask-conditioned beers, and two roaming beer infuser lines. There will also be a Black Forest Brew Off; German, American, and bluegrass music all day; a College Football Bier Hall; games and contests; and children's activities. VIP tickets, with early admission, a special selection of beers, and complimentary appetizers, are available.