California Oktoberfest Events

October Oktoberfest Event Calendar

Oktoberfest in California is one of the favorite fall activities to get folks in the mood for the winter of delight. Californians love to celebrate cultural heritage and while the events range from Hispanic fiestas to Chinese New Year, the Germans raise the bar two notches when Oktoberfest comes around. Family fun mixes with a little bit of the saucy, silly and naughty to gear people up for Halloween, the ultimate Fall celebration. Thanks to our roots in the film industry, we Californians look for any chance to disguise ourselves in costume, or simply wear a costume and partake in a bit of fantasy. Oktoberfest introduces the idea that you can dance and act like a chicken (see Chicken Dance Video), or drink sweet liqueurs mixed with beers and let loose (giving yourself enough time to come down before you exit the beer hall and drive).

Shown are the pretty California girls in the dirndl skirts at the Huntington Beach Oktoberfest celebration. These ladies actually have to try out for their parts as shot girls. You would expect no less in California, would you? Their outfits are totally over the top with big heart shaped pockets on their dirndls skirts, hosiery of every knitted, see-through pattern, platform shoes that give the legs a longer look, and push up bras that emphasize the bustline even more. Men are getting in the act, too. In California, you'll find the strongest Oktoberfest entertainment value in Southern California. In Orange County there are two beer halls that have an Oktoberfest run throughout October (Anaheim Phoenix Club and Huntington Beach Old World Village). Nearby in L.A. County in Torrance is Alpine Village with its own Oktoberfest running throughout the month of October.

Contact :

California Festivals & Fairs - | Oct

city	event / photos	web / location	2009 dates
Alameda	Oktoberfest	speisekammer.com 2424 Lincoln Ave
Anaheim	Oktoberfest	thephoenixclub.com	weekends (Fri - Sun) thru Oct.
Auburn	Oktoberfest	Gold Country Fairgrounds 1273 High St., Auburn
Beaumont	Oktoberfest	Nobel Creek Regional Park, 38900 14th St., Beaumont, CA
Big Bear	Oktoberfest	bigbearevents.com Big Bear Convention Center	weekends thru Oct.
Campbell	Oktoberfest	campbellchamber.com	Oct. 16, 17, 2010
Carlsbad	Oktoberfest	rotaryoktoberfest.org Holiday Park	Oct. 2, 2010
El Cajon	Oktoberfest	germanclubsandiego.org	Oct. 1-3, 8-10, 2010
Encinitas	Oktoberfest	encinitaschamber.com
Huntington Beach	Oktoberfest	oldworld.ws Old World Village	Daily (exclude Mon. & Tues) Mid-Sept. thru Oct.31,2010
La Mesa	Oktoberfest	lmvma.com	Oct. 1,2,3, 2010
Mammoth Lakes	Oktoberfest	villageatmammoth.com	Oct. 2010 (2 days)
Newbury Park	Oktoberfest	okto-beerfest.com	Sep.25 & 26, 2010
Oakland	Oktoberfest in the Dimond	oaktoberfest.org	Oct. 9, 2010
Ocean Beach	OB Oktoberfest	oboktoberfest.com Newport Ave @ beach, San Diego	Oct. 9, 2010
Petaluma	Oktoberfest	petalumavalleyrotary.org Petaluma Fairgrounds	Oct. 16, 2010
Pismo Beach	Oktoberfest	old-vienna.com 1527 Shell Beach Rd.	Sept 18 - Oct 30, 2009
Sacramento	Oktoberfest	sacramentoturnverein.com 3349 J St.	Oct.2 & 3, 2009
San Francisco	Oktoberfest by the Bay	oktoberfestbythebay.com Pier 48	Oct. 2-4, 2009
San Jose	Oktoberfest	sjchamber.com	Oct. 29, 2009
Scotts Valley	Oktoberfest	scottsvalleyrotary.org	Oct. 16, 2009
Torrance	Oktoberfest	alpinevillage.net Alpine Village	Fri - Sun, Sept.11 - Oct.24, 2010
Twain Harte	Oktoberfest	fireonthemountain.com	Oct. 3 & 4, 2009

Other Oktoberfest events courtesy Alpentanzer.com

Sep 26, 2009 UC Davis Oktoberfest

Oct 3, 2009 Squaw Valley Oktoberfest

Oct 10, 2009 Carmichael Oktoberfest

Oct 11, 2009 Fair Oaks Oktoberfest

Oct 16, 2009 Springfield in Rocklin

Oct 17, 2009 Lincoln Oktoberfest

Oct 22, 2009 Casa Roble Oktoberfest

Oct 29, 2009 Hazel Creek German Night

Dec 5, 2009 Sacramento Turn Verein Christkindlmarkt

Other European Inspired Events in California from polkabob.com from 2008

10-3 Turn Verein Hall Sacramento Oktoberfest - 6-11PM Al Gruber Band
10-3 Schroeder's Oktoberfest - Joe Smiell 6-9PM
10-4 'ELK'toberfest@Richmond Elks Lodge 3931, San Pablo Dam Rd, El Sobrante 4-8PM /Joe Domitrowitch Alpiners USA &
------The Golden Gate Bavarian Club Schuhplattler dancers. Dinner/Dance $20.00 - reservations 510-821-1500
10-4 Turn Verein Hall Sacramento Oktoberfest 5-11PM
10-4 Swiss Park Oktoberfest - Tony Raymann's Edelweiss 6-11PM
10- 4, 5 Camp Richardson Oktoberfest Lake Tahoe 12 Noon-5:30PM Al Gruber Band
10-5 Bajuk Trio / Krische Band & ONF Schuhplattler - Oktoberfest, Oakland Naturfreunde 2-6PM
10-10, 11 Teske's Germania - The Internationals 6:30-10:30PM
10-10 Schroeder's Oktoberfest Big Lou's 6-9PM
10- 10,11 Leavenworth Bavarian Village Oktoberfest, Leavenworth, WA Al Gruber Band
10-11 Oktoberfest In The Gold Country - Community Senior Center, Grass Valley, CA -Joe Smiell's 5PM
10-11 Sierra City Oktoberfest - Main Street, Sierra City, CA 11AM-5PM
10-12 Swiss Park - Karl Lebherz 4-8PM
10-12 Hermann Son's Oktoberfest, Hermann Sons Hall, Petaluma -Tony Raymann 12 noon (reservations)
10-17 Carson Valley Inn Oktoberfest , Minden, NV 7-10PM Al Gruber Band
10-17 Schroeder's Oktoberfest Big Lou's 6-9PM
10- 18, 19 Croatian Festival - Croatian American Cultural Center San Francisco 12 Noon
10-18 Tyrolean Inn Oktoberfest, Ben Lomond, CA
10-18 Todos Santos Plaza, Concord 11:30AM-12:30PM Big Lou's
10-19 Perry Creek Winery Oktoberfest, 7400 Perry Creek Road, Fair Play, CA 12 Noon-4PM Al Gruber Band. Cost: $25. perrycreek.com
10-24 Teske's Germania - The Internationals 6:30-10:30PM
10-24 Schroeder's Oktoberfest - Joe Smiell 6-9PM
10-25, 26 Gold Country Oktoberfest, Oroville, CA The Internationals
10-25 Paradise Oktoberfest - Paradise, CA 4-9PM Al Gruber Band
10-26 Swiss Park - Karl Lebherz - 4-8PM
10-31 Schroeder's Holloween Polka Party - Big Lou's 6-9PM

November
11-8 Turn Verein Harmonie Chor Concert & Dance - Sacramento 4PM (reservations)
11-8 Schlachtfest @ Swiss Park - Tony Raymann's Edelweiss 7PM-11PM
11-9 Al Gruber Family Band @ Little Switzerland 5-9PM
11-9 Seibert's Polka Power Calif. - Eagle's Hall Sacramento Polka Boosters 2-6PM
11-9 Swiss Park - Karl Lebherz 4-8PM
11-14 Schroeder's - Joe Smiell 6-9PM
11-15 Teske's Germania - The Internationals 6:30-10:30PM
11-21 Schroeder's - Big Lou's 6-9PM
11-23 Swiss Park - Karl Lebherz 4-8PM
11-30 - Christkindlmarkt (X-mas Market)- Hermann Sons Hall, Petaluma 10AM-4PM (no dancing)

December
12-6 Richmond Chor German X-mas Concert/Dance-Richmond Elks, El Sobrante -Bill Bly's Combo 5PM
12- 6,7 Christkindlmarkt (X-mas Market)-Turn Verein Hall Sacramento 10AM-5PM (no dancing)
12-7 Al Gruber Family Band @ Little Switzerland 5-9PM
12-7 Seibert's Polka Power Calif. - Eagle's Hall Sacramento Polka Boosters 2-6PM
12-7 Oakland Naturfreunde X-mas dance - Karl Lebherz & ONF Schuhplattler 2-6PM
12-7 Redwood Empire Chor - X-mas concert/dance -Hermann Sons Hall 4PM - Bill Bly's Combo
12-12 Schroeder's - Joe Smiell 6-9PM
12-13 Oakland Turn Verein X-mas concert/dance - Bjornson Hall, Oakland 4:30PM Bill Bly's Combo
12-14 Swiss Park - Karl Lebherz 4-8PM
12-19 Schroeder's Christmas Party - Joe Smiell - Lunch & Dinner (reservations)
12-20 Teske's Germania - The Internationals 6:30-10:30PM
12-27 Teske's Germania - The Internationals - 6:30-10:30PM
12-28 Swiss Park - Karl Lebherz 4-8PM
12-31 New Years @ Germania Hall, San Jose - 8PM-12:30AM Al Gruber Band (reservations)
12-31 New Years @ Swiss Park, Newark - The Internationals 6PM (reservations)
12-31 New Years @ Hermann Sons Hall, Petaluma - Tony Raymann's Edelweiss 6:30 (reservations)
12-31 New Years @ Turn Verein Hall, Sacramento - 6PM (reservations)

January 2009
1-16 Schroeder's - Big Lou's 6-9PM
1-24 Swiss Park Crab Feed 5PM - Tony Raymann's (reservations)
1-30 Schroeder's - Joe Smiell 6-9PM

February
2-7 Turn Verein Sacramento - Fasching/Karnival - Al Gruber Band 6-11PM
2-8 Folk Dancing @ Naturfreunde Oakland 12-5PM (no band)
2-13 Schroeder's Fasching/Karnival - Big Lou's 6-9PM
2-21 Hermann Sons Fasching/Karnival - Ramada Inn, Santa Nella, CA - The Internationals (reservations)
2-28 - Pacific Saengerbund concert/dance - Turn Verein Hall - 2PM concer / 6PM dance (reservations)

March
3-14 Swiss Park St. Patrick's Dance - Tony Raymann Edelweiss 6PM

Not responsible for errors or omissions - call or investigate before you go! Thank you.

Northern California locations that feature Polka & European dance music (halls, centers and clubhouses):
Little Switzerland - Riverside at Grove St., (In El Verano) Sonoma, CA 707-938-9990, www.lilswiss.com
Slovenian Hall - 2101 Mariposa St., San Francisco (415) 864-9629
Slavonic Cultural Center (Croatian) - 60 Onondaga Ave., San Francisco (415) 584-8859
Polish Club (hall) - 3040 22nd St. , San Francisco (415) 285-4336
Concordia Sport Club (clubhouse) - 2355 Ocean Ave., San Francisco (650) 344-8213
Russian Center of S.F. (hall) - 2450 Sutter St., San Francisco (415) 921-7631
Schroeder's Restaurant - 240 Front St., San Francisco (415) 421-4778
Naturfreunde/Turistenverein S.F. (clubhouse) - 30 Ridge Ave., Mill Valley (415) 388-9987
Hermann Son's Hall - 860 Western Ave., Petaluma (707) 762-9962
Naturfreunde/Turistenverein Oakland (clubhouse) - 3115 Butters Dr., Oakland (510) 531-2930
Swiss Park (hall) - 5911 Mowry Ave., Newark (510) 793-6272
Germania Hall - 261 North 2nd St., San Jose - (408) 295-4484
Teske's Germania Restaurant - 255 North 1st. St. , San Jose (408) 292-0291
Napredak Hall (Croatian) - 770 Montague Expressway, San Jose (408) 435-9933
German-American Hall - 230 Plymouth St. , Santa Cruz (408) 462-4020 or (408) 425-9367
Sacramento Turn Verein Hall - 3349 "J" St. , Sacramento (916) 442-7360
Eagles Lodge #9 - 4401 Fruitridge Road, Sacramento
Croatian-American Cultural Center - 3730 Auburn Blvd., Sacramento (916) 489-0339
Hermann Son's Hall - 2891 Garden Hwy., Nicolaus (916) 656-9918
Polish-American Community Center (hall) - 327 Main St., Roseville (916) 782-7171
San Joaquin Valley Swiss Club (hall) - 110 North Manley Rd., Ripon (209) 599-3735
Tyrolean Inn - 9600 Hwy. 9, Ben Lomond (831) 336-5188
Cafe Vienna Restaurant - 1229 Merkley Ave, West Sacramento (916) 371-9560

Northern California Polka Band Roster:
Al Gruber Band - P.O. Box 14170 South Lake Tahoe, CA 96151 (530) 544-3913
The Internationals / Chico Bavarian Band - 4032 2nd Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94306 (408) 842-6867
Joe Smiell's Bavarian Band / Big Bavarian Band - 863 Portal Ave. Oakland, CA 94610 (510) 832-6938
Alpiner's USA (Joe Domitrovich) - 833 Cottonwood Dr. Cupertino, CA 95014 (408) 255-1259
Showcase The Band (Louie Perez) - Sonoma, CA (707) 938-8295
The Brassworks Band (Frank Beau Davis) - 8153 Surrey Lane, Oakland, CA 94605 (510) 569-7993 frank@brassworks.us
Tony Raymann's Edelweiss Trio - 10 Valla Vista, Suisun, CA 94585 (707) 422-4392
Karl Lebherz Band - 148 Rock River Dr. Vallejo, CA 94589 (707) 644-4577
Steve Balich Polka Band - 12991 Occidental Rd. Sebastopol, CA 95472 (707) 874-3494
Peter Steiner's Edelweiss Quartet - Cloverdale, CA (707) 894-0425
Karl Kochishan's Europa Band - 3517 Adler Canyon Way Sacramento, CA 95842 (916) 722-9177
Polka Power California - 141 Yura Way Roseville, CA 95661 (916) 791-1284
Don Sommerfeld Band - Lodi, CA (209) 334-1433
Frank Beeler Swiss Orchestra - 606 East Main St. Ripon, CA 95366 (209) 599-7267
Ron Scheiber Swiss Orchestra - 3104 Garden Hwy. Nicolaus, CA 95659 (916) 656-2547
Joe Bajuk (Slovenian button box) - 3 Eastgate Dr. Daly City, CA 94015
Big Lou's Polka Band - P.O. Box 593 Brisbane, CA 94005 415 468-5986
Polkacide (Johnny Jack) - San Francisco, CA (415) 587-6872
The Squeegees (Tom Torriglia) - P.O. Box 475136, San Francisco, CA 94147
Die AlpenBand (Kevin McKnight) - 8228 Greenland Court, Citrus Heights, Ca 95610 (916) 721-1579, badenia@mindspring.com