Get your brats on, and gear up for Oktoberfest! Here are some local places to party, drink beer, step into the Lederhosen and do the Chicken Dance. You know you’ve been waiting for that…
- Biergarten, 309 Via De Palmas, Boca Raton; 561/395-7462: This is probably the closest you’ll get to being in Germany and Bavaria. Biergarten’s Oktoberfest starts Sept. 30, and goes, well, it just goes on and on. There are pretzels, German pierogies, potato pancakes, bratwurst, currywurst, knockwurst, kielbasa, frankfurters (no, don’t call them hot dogs), Black Forest ham and cheese, schnitzel, beef sauerbraten, kasespatzle, Hungarian goulash, and then things like burgers, fish and chips, chicken and dishes tending toward the healthy side of things. But you don’t want those. You want the wursts! Oh, and the Black Forest cake. And the beers, of which there are many. There’s live entertainment Friday and Saturdays, and happy hours Monday-Thursday from 4-7 p.m., and then from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Happy hour on Friday from 4-7 p.m., and then all day on Sunday. Happy, happy, happy….
- Due South Brewing’s Oktoberfest, 2900 High Ridge Road, Boynton Beach: If you’re into new brew releases, this is the party for you, and it’s already started. Kind of. That means Sept. 29 was the release of Honey Vanilla Wheat cans, and then the fun continues Sept. 30 with food trucks and special beer tapping. From 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. today (Sept. 30), and noon to 10 p.m. on Oct. 1, food trucks are rolling there. This is a 21-and over party only.
- 43rd Oktoberfest of the Palm Beaches, Lake Worth: This is the largest Oktoberfest event in the state, and one of the largest in the country. At least 35,000 are expected to attend during the two weekends it’s open: Oct. 7-9 and Oct. 14-16. Hosted by the American German Club, there is a lot of food, drinks, carnival rides, live music, enormous beer steins and more. You can buy your tickets here. Cost is $10 for adults, kids under 12 with paying adult are free. It’s on 10 acres, and there’s a pavilion and tent, with lots of parking. It’s at the American German Club, which is 4 miles south of West Palm Beach on Lantana Road.
- Oktoberfest at Hilton West Palm Beach, 600 Okeechobee Blvd.: From 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 16, the hotel is hosting unlimited beer tasting (including Funky Buddha, Due South, Twisted Trunk, Inlet Brewery) for $30 per person, with food available a la carte. Free for kids, tasting for 21 and up, of course. A portion of the fees will be donated to the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides for Breast Cancer event.
