Oktoberfest does not end when September does in New Jersey. The state's 2026 calendar still has another wave of celebrations ahead, with events stretching from the Shore to Bergen County and from Jersey City rooftops to farm fields, downtown plazas and firehouse fundraisers.
The remaining schedule is also a useful reminder that 'Oktoberfest' means different things depending on where you go. Some events lean into German beer, food, oompah music and stein-hoisting. Others mix those traditions with pumpkin patches, hayrides, local bands, charity fundraising, family activities and the kind of community-festival personality New Jersey does particularly well.
Here are 21 Oktoberfest events still on the calendar from Oct. 9 through Oct. 25, including a rescheduled celebration in River Edge.
October 9-11: A full weekend from Asbury Park to Ramsey
Mutiny Beach Oktoberfest
Asbury Park | Oct. 9-11 | Fri./Sat. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sun. 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
Asbury Park's Convention Hall gets the Oktoberfest treatment for three days, pairing German food with BBQ specials, live polka and traditional music, beer games and a stein-hoist contest. The indoor-outdoor setting gives this one a distinctly Shore feel while still keeping the familiar Oktoberfest ingredients at the center.
Annual Oktoberfest at Forest Lodge
Warren | Oct. 10 | 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Forest Lodge brings the celebration into the Watchung Mountains with German entrees, American BBQ, German craft beer, domestic beer, wine and cocktails. A live German band shares the entertainment schedule with a DJ, while more than 20 vendors and family activities make this an option for visitors who want more than a beer-tent afternoon. Children under 10 are admitted free.
Red Bank Oktoberfest
Red Bank | Oct. 10 | 1-5 p.m. | Rain date: Oct. 17
Downtown Red Bank turns Edmund Wilson Plaza into a free, all-ages Oktoberfest with live music, food, vendors and a kids zone. Adults 21 and older can purchase beer, spirit and other tasting packages, making the event easy to approach either as a family afternoon downtown or as a tasting stop. Organizers have listed Oct. 17 as the rain date.
Oktoberfest at the Park
Flanders / Mount Olive | Oct. 10-11 | Sat. noon-8 p.m.; Sun. noon-5 p.m.
Mount Olive's two-day municipal celebration mixes traditional German dancers, live music, beer and pretzels with a much broader fall-festival lineup. Axe throwing, inflatables, games and the event's wonderfully odd 'flying chickens' are joined by a free hayride and large-screen football, giving the weekend a particularly New Jersey version of Oktoberfest.
Hillside Hose Company No. 1 Oktoberfest
Morristown | Oct. 10 | 2-8 p.m.
For a smaller neighborhood option, Hillside Hose Company No. 1 is hosting an Oktoberfest at 132 Western Avenue in Morristown. The volunteer-firehouse fundraiser centers on food, drink and entertainment, with the scale and setting offering a contrast to the larger municipal and brewery festivals happening around Morris County.
Oktoberfest at 902 Brewing
Jersey City | Oct. 10 | Noon-6 p.m.
902 Brewing is keeping its Oktoberfest beer-first, with limited-edition seasonal releases brewed by the Jersey City brewery, live German and local music, games and a stein-holding contest. The rooftop setting, dog-friendly policy and free on-site parking give it an easygoing brewery-party character.
New Brunswick Oktoberfest
New Brunswick | Oct. 11 | Noon-6 p.m.
Downtown New Brunswick closes out the weekend with a free festival built around food and beverage vendors, local retailers and interactive activities. A stein-holding contest and main-stage entertainment bring the expected Oktoberfest energy, while the food-and-drink mix includes both local and traditional options, craft beer and German beer. Attendees are encouraged to dress for the occasion.
Ramsey Knights of Columbus Oktoberfest
Ramsey | Oct. 11 | 1-6 p.m.
Ramsey's Patrick F. Pindar Council is going straight at the classics: bratwurst, knockwurst and weisswurst barbecue with sides, plus Oktoberfest beer, wine and soda included with admission. The event is also a fundraiser supporting operations of the Knights of Columbus hall, giving the afternoon a traditional community-social feel.
October 16-18: Fundraisers, farms, downtowns and one giant elephant
Oasis 22nd Annual Oktoberfest Fundraiser
Franklin Lakes | Oct. 16 | 7 p.m.
Oasis opens the next Oktoberfest weekend under the big tent at McBride Field in Franklin Lakes. Traditional food and drink set the table, but The Nerds are the major entertainment draw, supplying the live soundtrack and dancing. The long-running event supports Oasis programs, so the night is as much a fundraiser as it is a fall party.
Triumph Princeton Oktoberfest
Princeton | Oct. 17 | 1-5 p.m.
Palmer Square Green becomes the setting for Triumph's Princeton Oktoberfest, with Triumph beer, Oktoberfest food, live music and children's activities. The event also promises 'feats of strength' competitions, adding a playful contest element to an afternoon that otherwise fits neatly into a downtown fall-festival format.
Zion Lutheran 'Wurst Party Ever' Oktoberfest
Saddle River | Oct. 17 | 5:30-9 p.m.
Zion Lutheran's 'Wurst Party Ever' takes a smaller and more social approach than the sprawling street festivals. The Saddle River gathering features live oompah and German-style music with German food and beer in a church-community setting. For people who prefer conversation and a neighborhood atmosphere to a massive crowd, that is part of the appeal.
4th Annual CL7 Oktoberfest
Franklin Lakes | Oct. 17 | 7 p.m.
Franklin Lakes gets a second Oktoberfest event on the weekend with the fourth annual CL7 fundraiser. German-inspired and ballpark-style food, beer and wine are joined by DJ entertainment and live music from Long Road Home. Proceeds support the Charlie Landers Foundation and work connected to Ewing sarcoma.
Abma's Farm Hillsborough Oktoberfest
Hillsborough | Oct. 17 | 5-9 p.m.
Abma's Farm puts Oktoberfest into a farm setting with German-style food, beer, live music from Nikki Briar and a stein-holding contest. Admission to the Oktoberfest itself is free. Visitors who want to extend the night can separately add farm attractions including the petting zoo and flashlight corn maze.
Trunktoberfest at Lucy the Elephant
Margate | Oct. 17 | Daytime; check organizer schedule
Few Oktoberfest settings are more unmistakably New Jersey than Lucy the Elephant. Margate's Trunktoberfest leans toward a family fall festival, with hayrides, pumpkin painting, games and food taking priority over the beer-hall side of the tradition. The source material reviewed did not list a firm event time, so visitors should check the organizer schedule before heading to Margate.
Cherry Hill Oktoberfest
Cherry Hill | Oct. 17 | 12:30-5:30 p.m.
St. Andrew's United Methodist Church hosts Cherry Hill's Oktoberfest with live music, local beer, vendors and activities for kids. The church-community setting and family programming make it another example of how broadly the Oktoberfest label is being used across New Jersey this fall.
Morris Township PBA 133 Oktoberfest
Morristown | Oct. 17 | Noon-5 p.m.
Morris Township PBA 133 brings its Oktoberfest fundraiser to the upstairs Legends space at The Frog. The $25 admission includes Oktoberfest food and three raffle tickets, with a cash bar, door prizes and a 50/50 also on the schedule. This one is built as a straightforward community fundraiser rather than a sprawling outdoor festival.
Needle Creek Farm Brewery Oktoberfest Weekend
Pennington | Oct. 17-18 | 10 a.m.-6 p.m. both days
Needle Creek Farm Brewery stretches its celebration across two days with an Oktoberfest Marzen and other fall seasonal releases, lawn games, fire pits and open-air farm seating. Rotating food trucks will serve Oktoberfest-inspired menus, and the farm setting keeps the weekend family-friendly while still putting the beer at the center.
Hamilton Township Oktoberfest
Hamilton | Oct. 18 | 11 a.m.-5 p.m. | Rain date: Oct. 25
Hamilton Township's Oktoberfest is one of the strongest family-focused events in the remaining calendar. Big Hix provides the live music, while food trucks, vendors and craft beer gardens share the grounds with a petting zoo, corn maze, pumpkin patch, character meet-and-greets and a children's entertainment area. The township lists Oct. 25 as the rain date.
October 21-25: Breweries, a benefit and a rescheduled history-meets-Oktoberfest finale
Five Dimes Brewery Oktoberfest
Westwood | Oct. 21 | Details still limited
Five Dimes Brewery has an Oktoberfest listed on its official event calendar for Oct. 21 at the Westwood location. The event is positioned as a taproom-centered celebration in downtown Westwood, but programming details remained limited in the material reviewed as of Oct. 5. Anyone planning around this one should check the brewery's calendar before going.
Pause To Thrive: Oktoberfest at Bakes Brewing Co.
Wall | Oct. 21 | 6-9 p.m.
Bakes Brewing Co. in Wall hosts Pause To Thrive's Oktoberfest, a military-support fundraiser built around craft beer, bites and live music. Unlike the drop-in street and municipal festivals, this is a ticketed evening event, with admission listed at $75.
The Baron's Oktoberfest & Harvest Homecoming
River Edge | Oct. 25 | Noon-5 p.m. | Rescheduled from Sept. 26
The final event in this group may also be the most unusual. The Baron's Oktoberfest & Harvest Homecoming in River Edge was moved from Sept. 26 to Oct. 25 and combines local Bergen County breweries and cornhole with free pumpkin picking and decorating. Revolutionary War reenactors and interpretation centered on Baron von Steuben turn the day into a history-and-beer hybrid rather than a conventional Oktoberfest.
Taken together, the remaining calendar shows how far Oktoberfest has traveled from a single template. New Jersey's version can mean a stein-hoisting contest in Jersey City, a family farm night in Hillsborough, German food at a Knights of Columbus hall, a downtown tasting festival, a military fundraiser or Revolutionary War interpretation with local beer.
The common thread is less about strict imitation than about the ritual of gathering: food, music, fall weather, a reason to raise a glass and, somewhere nearby, probably a very large pretzel.
Reporting sources
Event dates, times and highlights in this advance are drawn from the narrowed 2026 event list and its linked organizer, tourism and event-calendar sources. Details can change, especially for outdoor events, so readers should use the source links below for final-day checks.
• Mutiny Beach Oktoberfest: event information
• Annual Oktoberfest at Forest Lodge: event information
• Red Bank Oktoberfest: event information
• Oktoberfest at the Park: event information
• Hillside Hose Company No. 1 Oktoberfest: event information
• Oktoberfest at 902 Brewing: event information
• New Brunswick Oktoberfest: event information
• Ramsey Knights of Columbus Oktoberfest: event information
• Oasis 22nd Annual Oktoberfest Fundraiser: event information
• Triumph Princeton Oktoberfest: event information
• Zion Lutheran 'Wurst Party Ever' Oktoberfest: event information
• 4th Annual CL7 Oktoberfest: event information
• Abma's Farm Hillsborough Oktoberfest: event information
• Trunktoberfest at Lucy the Elephant: event information
• Cherry Hill Oktoberfest: event information
• Morris Township PBA 133 Oktoberfest: event information
• Needle Creek Farm Brewery Oktoberfest Weekend: event information
• Hamilton Township Oktoberfest: event information
• Five Dimes Brewery Oktoberfest: event information
• Pause To Thrive: Oktoberfest at Bakes Brewing Co.: event information
• The Baron's Oktoberfest & Harvest Homecoming: event information
Dates, times and highlights attributed to the organizer, tourism and calendar pages cited in Reporting sources. Event details are subject to change; check organizers before travel.