Overview
Every September and October, Germany erupts with brews, food and lederhosen-wearing revellers for its annual Oktoberfest celebrations. When that time rolls around Down Under, Australia follows suit. One such festivity is Oktoberfest in the Gardens, which has been throwing big Bavarian-themed celebrations around the country for 13 years — and has locked in a seven-city tour for 2023.
Oktoberfest in the Gardens will make return visits to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, and add three new stops: Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Newcastle. Across them all, it expects to welcome in over 70,000 people enjoying steins, schnitties and German shindigs.
Every city's festival will serve up the same kind of beer- and bratwurst-fuelled shenanigans that Germany has become so famous for. So, if you have a hankering for doppelbock and dancing to polka, it's the next best thing to heading to Europe.
Oktoberfest in the Gardens boasts a crucial attraction, too — as well as serving a variety of pilsners, ciders, wine and non-alcoholic beverages, it constructs huge beer halls to house the boozy merriment.
When you're not raising a stein — or several — at the day-long event, you can tuck into pretzels and other traditional snacks at food stalls, or check out the hefty array of entertainment. Live music, roving performers, a silent disco, rides and a sideshow alley are all on the agenda.
"Australia loves Oktoberfest. COVID was a tough time in the events industry and saw the demise of other events such as Oktoberfest St Kilda and Oktoberfest Brisbane. Our team was very fortunate to be able to run successful events in some parts of the country when others were in lockdown and this allowed us to make it through," said Ross Drennan, co-founder of Nokturnl Events, which runs Oktoberfest in the Gardens.
"We're now going all in to really ramp up Oktoberfest in the Gardens and take it to the next level with events all around the country."
OKTOBERFEST IN THE GARDENS 2023 DATES:
Saturday, September 23 — Pinky Flat, Adelaide
Saturday, September 30 — Broadwater Parklands, Gold Coast
Saturday, September 30 — The Station, Newcastle
Saturday, October 7 — Langley Park, Perth
Saturday, October 14 — Brisbane Showgrounds
Saturday, October 21 — Catani Gardens, St Kilda
Saturday, October 28 — The Domain, Sydney
Oktoberfest in the Gardens tours Australia in September and October 2023 — head to the event's website for tickets and further details.