Orlando, Florida means sun, fun and beaches. Oktoberfest means beer, music and fellowship. Bring the two together in your next American holiday by planning a trip to Orlando’s Oktoberfest. Orlando has Oktoberfest events throughout the month, so do your research before booking.
Family-friendly Oktoberfest events
Orlando has afternoon, open air Oktoberfest events in parks, neighbourhoods and fairgrounds. These events feature live music, food and entertainment that is suited to the whole family. Here are a few examples:
- There’s a Shriner’s Oktoberfest party that features free admission, $5.00 parking, live German-style music, dancing, contests, traditional German food and even bouncy castles for the kids. The Shriners are a social and charitable organisation that is best known for their children’s hospitals. The Bahia Festival grounds, where this event is held, are in a suburb north of the city.
- In Orlando’s Avalon Park, you’ll find a two day event with live bands, Alpine Dancing and a beer garden with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic brews.
- The Trinity is an historic German-American church in Orlando’s city centre, and they usually sponsor an Oktoberfest event with live music and plenty of German beer.
- The German American Society of Central Florida usually has something special planned, as well.
- The town of Celebration, Florida is a short drive to the south of Orlando. They sponsor a two-day Oktoberfest featuring interactive entertainment, a live music event called “Rocktoberfest” and, of course, beer.
Check online for this year’s dates and details.
Oktoberfest for beer snobs
If you’re not impressed by mass market German beers and are looking for a better selection or for an American microbrew-focused event, then research the Oktoberfest celebrations in Orlando’s bars, brew pubs and microbreweries before choosing dates for your trip. American pubs are generally more family friendly than British pubs, so if you’re bringing children, there’s no need to confine yourself to public parks and bog standard beer.
Sanford is a small town that’s only a 20 minute drive from Orlando. The Downtown Sanford Oktoberfest is centred on the Willowtree Cafe, which is owned by Germans and boasts a selection of 50 German beers. Expect a picturesque, historic town, good pubs, high quality food and live music. The Oblivion Taproom, near Lake Barton, also has an Oktoberfest event and a large selection of German beers.
Find out what’s behind all the fuss about American craft brewing. Oktoberfest celebrates great beer, there are fantastic beers being produced in small quantities all over the U.S., and Orlando is no exception.
Orlando Brewing is a top quality organic craft brewery that follows the Reinheitsgebot, or German Purity Law of 1516. Their beer contains only water, hops, yeast and malted barley, and they usually have around ten different styles of beer on the go. Check their website for this year’s Oktoberfest events, and don’t forget to catch a free Brewery tour.
Dunedin Brewery is Florida’s oldest craft brewery, and its Oktobeerfest always takes place on the first weekend of October. They have seven standard beers that are available in many area pubs, and generally six to eight additional limited addition brews, as well. Their brewery has a pub and restaurant that also serves as a live music venue. Their beer and food are both well respected, so this is a must-visit for beer lovers.
To get the most out of the Oktoberfest you can try car hire in Orlando by arranging it when you book a trip. Orlando, like many U.S. cities, is difficult to impossible to navigate by public transport, and taxis are expensive and hard to find.
