Didn’t book a flight to Munich why not try, Enumclaw?

     Looking at the calendar it dawns to many of you both of German heritage and those whom love a good lager that Oktoberfest is here. If you aren’t on a flight to Munich chances are you missed an opportunity to share a liter of beer with your super distant Saxon cousin. All is not a total loss as there has been over the years an increase in festivals all honoring the prince who celebrated his wedding in October.

"Oktoberfest is a sixteen-day festival held each year in Munich, Germany during late September (and running to early October). It is one of the most famous events in Germany and the world's largest fair, with some six million people attending every year, and is an enjoyable event with an important part of Bavarian culture. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modeled after the Munich event.

The Munich Oktoberfest, traditionally, takes place during the sixteen days up to and including the first Sunday in October. In 1994, the schedule was modified in response to German reunification so that if the first Sunday in October falls on the 1st or 2nd, then the festival will go on until October 3 (German Unity Day). Thus, the festival is now 17 days when the 1st Sunday is October 2 and 18 days when it is October 1. The festival is held on an area named the Theresienwiese (field, or meadow, of Therese), often called d’ Wiesn for short." source, Wikipedia.com

     The options are abundant through-out the Northwest with some even worth mentioning in California. If however the wish is to have a more authentic experience then why not head to Leavenworth, WA. Starting on the 26th of September you can catch an Amtrak to Chicago and stop in Leavenworth.

“The Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce is planning a celebration to welcome the first train stopping on Sept. 25.

The chamber says Leavenworth officials have been working more than eight years with Amtrak, Burlington Northern Santa Fe and others to have the Empire Builder stop in the city in the Cascades foothills.” source, Seattle-Times.com

     Whether you celebrate in the privacy of your own home, a festival, or at a dinner table around town; a wonderful time is had when great food and good beer is served.

September 18th, 2009

Silverdale, WA

• All Day
  Silver city presents Oktoberfest, Silver City Brewery
  2799 NW Myhre Road Silverdale, WA 98383
  All Profits from this weekend go to the CK firefighters

September 18th, 19th, & 20th 2009

Seattle, WA

• September 18th (5:00 PM PST to 12:00 PM PST)
  September 19th (11:00 AM PST to 12:00 AM PST)
  September 20th (11:00 AM PST to 6:00 PM PST)
  Fremont Oktoberfest, Fremont ‘neighborhood’
  Phinney Avenue N. & N. 35th Street Seattle, WA 98103
  ”The Fremont Oktoberfest is your fall kick-off celebration in the "Center of the Universe" Fremont, Washington. Voted by USA Today and Orbitz.com as one of the top places to toast Oktoberfest, the three-day event has an activity for kids and adults of all ages!

  And it's all for a good cause! The Fremont Chamber of Commerce is the beneficiary of the Fremont Oktoberfest. A portion of the proceeds goes toward funding local schools, art groups, community events and promoting Fremont as the "Center of the Universe.

  Come Run, Drink and Play at the Fremont Oktoberfest!” source, Fremont Oktoberfest’s website

September 19th, 2009

Portland, OR

• Laurelwood Laurelfest, Laurelwood Breweries
  (503) 282-0622
  "Live music, Laurelfest Lager on tap, festive fall food specials and kids activities"
• Public House & Brewery 5115 NE Sandy Blvd Portland, OR
• Pizza Co. 1728 NE 40th Avenue Portland, OR
• Public House NW 2327 NW Kearney Portland, OR

Stevenson, WA

• 12:00 PM PST to 10:00 PM PST
  Hoptoberfest, Walking Man Brewery
  240 SW First Street Stevenson, WA
  Get ready for Hoptoberfest, a day filled with live music, dancing, food and beer at Stevenson's Walking Man Brew Pub. The festivities will start with local band "Jackbone Dixie" then "Levelland" will take the stage at 3:00 pm and play until 6:00 pm. Longtime favorite band "The Love Skunks" will keep the crowd dancing from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Skamania County Food Bank.

September 19th, 2009 to October 4th, 2009

Seattle, WA

• All Day
  Octoberfest, Beveridge Place Pub
  6451 California Avenue Seattle, WA
  We run Octoberfest the same time as the folks in Munich.  We serve Spaten, Paulaner, and Hofbrau just like Munich.  We serve in one liter mugs (ein mas, bitte) just like Munich.  We have harvest ales on tap from all over the west coast.  Who needs Munich!

September 21st, 2009

Portland, OR

• 12:00 PM PST to 10:00 PM PST
  Biketoberfest, Hopworks Urban Brewery
  2944 S.E. Powell Blvd. Portland, OR
  Biketobeerfest combines those Portland passions of bikes and beer with the March Fourth Marching Band and five other bands and DJs, lots of activities, great food and events including the unveiling of two new organic fresh-hop beers. free admission Bikes only, no cars allowed

September 24th, 2009

California - San Francisco, CA

• 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM *end time an approximation
  Toronado, Oktoberfest
  547 Haight, San Francisco, CA (415) 863-2276
  Spaten presents Oktoberfest at the Toronado!
  Brats, Kraut, Ooompah band, and of course, great Spaten
  beers on tap with draft specials all night.

September 26th, 2009

Burien, WA

• All Day
  Oktoberfest Menu, Elliott Bay Brewery & Pub
  255 SW 152nd Street, Burien, WA, 98166
• German Beer and Cheese Soup
  Served with Marble Rye toast points.
• No Doubt Stout Braised Bratwurst Sandwich / $9.95 German beer bratwurst simmered in No Doubt Stout with sauerkraut and caramelized onions served on our own spent grain roll with Swiss cheese sauce and served with seasoned fries.
• Elliott Bay Bavarian Melt / $10.50
  Our all natural burger patty grilled and topped with No Doubt Stout braised onions and sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and our house-made stone ground honey ale mustard sauce. Served on grilled marble rye bread with seasoned fries.
• Brats and Mashed Potatoes / $10.95
  No Doubt Stout braised Bratwurst grilled and served with our house-made stone ground honey ale mustard sauce, No Doubt Stout braised onions, sauerkraut and mashed new potatoes.
• Half Roasted Rosemary Chicken / $12.95
  Half a chicken oven roasted with rosemary garlic pepper and then finished on the flat grill.

October 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 10th, 16th, 17th 2009

Leavenworth, WA

• 1:00 PM PST
  ‘Opening Ceremony’ Every Saturday
  ’Festhalle and Tent’ Front Street Leavenworth, WA
  Our very first Oktoberfest was held in October 1998 which was attended by about 400 people.  The next year about 1700 people attended the festival, and a band was brought in from Germany.

  The festival continued to grow each year and in 2003, a second weekend was added and two bands were brought in from Germany in addition to many performers from the US.  By 2005 attendance had grown to 10,000, and the Leavenworth festival was ranked as one of the top Oktoberfest celebrations in the country.

  What started 9 years ago as a single weekend of festival has grown over the years. Now, beginning back in 2006, Oktoberfest operates 3 full weekends of fun filled activities for the whole family.

October 3rd, 2009

California - Costa Mesa, CA

• 12:00 PM PST to
  Karlfest 2009, Karl Strauss Brewery & Restaurant
  901 S Coast Drive # A Costa Mesa, CA 92626-7790 (714) 546-2739
  Your donation includes five taster samples and the concert. Buy your tickets early — there’s limited capacity and you don’t want to miss out!
  Karlfest is our take on Oktoberfest — complete with 35 beers on tap, live music, and our chefs cooking up great food. Karlfest 2009 will take place in front of our brewery restaurant in Costa Mesa. We will have seven guest breweries on hand pouring their best offerings. We’ll have 16 of our own beers on tap (including a fresh batch of Oktoberfest), as well as specialty casks tapped each hour. All proceeds from the event support the Surfrider Foundation South Orange County Chapter, as well as the Karl Strauss Brewers Education Fund.

October 9th, 2009 & October 10th, 2009

Enumclaw, WA

• 10:00 AM PST to 10:00 PM PST
  Enumclaw Octoberfest
  45224 284th Ave SE Enumclaw, WA 98022
  A true Oktoberfest would not be official without a complete line-up of great beer! Enter the "Black Forest Beer Garden" for a taste of tradition with 15 breweries from around the state bringing over 40 beers to taste. Check out what breweries are going to be at Enumclaw Oktoberfest. Click here for Brewery & Beer List

Prost!