How to Celebrate Oktoberfest at Home

Having a Oktoberfest party? Here are a few ideas to get your ready.

Setting Up
Set out long tables and create a beer garden in your backyard. String twinkle lights overhead, hang wreaths and streamers in blue and white, the colors of the flag of the state of Bavaria. For centerpieces, fill beer steins with fresh blue and white flowers and German flags. Grab an Invite from zazzle.com.

What to Drink
Stock up on your favorite beers and sip from beer steins. Keep it casual with a keg, coolers of soft drinks, bottled beer, and a picnic table laden with potluck offerings of salads and side dishes. Or set up a beer tasting table with a line-up of the German beers.  Place cards out with the name of the beer, origin, and any other trivia you may know about the beer and brewery.

Everything your favorite Oktoberfest foods…packed neatly into a potato bowl.

What to Eat
To get started, simply buy an absurd amount of sausages and beer. Set up a table with buns and condiments. Fire up the grill for your sausage and you are ready to go.  Serve with German potato salad or guests to bring any sides salads, or desserts. Keep appetizers simple, a bowl of pretzels is both authentic and easy or make your own pretzels. If you’re in the mood to put a little more work into it, try our Oktoberfest Potato Bowls complete with caramelized onions and sauerkraut. Or set out a cheese plate with three to five cheeses from the region. If you want to make something, try our Lager & Sausage Stew or Schweinebraten, roast pork or Grandma’s Authentic Schnitzel.

Fill their bellies with Oktoberfest Lager & Sausage Stew.

Create a self-serve brat bar with a few toppings such as relish and sauerkraut along with a variety of mustards such as German, hot, sweet, and yellow. Munich-produced bottled beer like Hacker-Pschorr-Bräu, Löwenbräu, and Spatenbräu in kegs or bottles. Later, use the empty German beer bottles to line the tables as a part of your decorations.

Try these warm & chewy pretzels from Food & Wine.

What to Do
The competition is fierce at Oktoberfest between all the chugging, bratwurst eating and yodeling. Arrange a designated game area for beer stein races, beer barrel roll races or even beer barrel bowling. And don’t forget prizes for the winners, such as Oktoberfest beads or a six pack of Oktoberfest brews.  Celebrate with beer boots, beer steins, Oktoberfest party decorations and German costumes from oktoberfesthaus.com.