Prost! Time to raise das boot for these 7 Oktoberfest 2023 parties in South Florida

In all their amber beer-guzzling, stein-lifting, oompah band-playing glory, Oktoberfest celebrations are back in South Florida.

Of course, our celebrations — packed with racing wiener dogs, Jägermeister on the New River and unlimited craft beer in a food hall — are a different vibe from the authentic fests you’ll find in, say, Munich, Germany. For those pining for tradition, there are live webcams galore offering bird’s-eye views of the beer tents and lederhosen parades at the legendary festival.

Still, we happen to think Broward and Palm Beach counties are bastions of good Bavarian taste. Raise a hefty stein for these seven local bashes of brats and beer — many authentic, some not very — scattered across bars, breweries and German-American clubs.

And remember, revelers, that a rideshare is your best “freund.”

Oktoberfest at Dream State Brewing

3 p.m. daily through Oct. 1 at 115 NW Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale (at Sistrunk Marketplace & Brewery); 954-329-2551; DreamStateBrewery.com

As an all-you-can-drink fest inside a food hall, what this festival lacks in cultural authenticity it makes up for with, well, an unholy amount of beer for $35. Starting at 3 p.m. daily, the food hall will offer a speciality menu of German cuisine, and that unlimited beer bracelet grants access to suds from participating breweries including Prison Pals, Unseen Creatures Brewing and Blending, Invasive Species Brewing, Gulf Stream Brewing, Yeasty Brews, Orchestrated Minds and Tripping Animals Brewing.

Oktoberfest at the German American Society of Hollywood

Sept. 23, Oct. 7 and Oct. 21 at 6401 Washington St., Hollywood; 954-322-6227; GermanAmericanClubHollywood.org

This family-friendly bash will unspool over three weekends, with entertainment including music by accordionist Bob Houston, Bavarian folk dancing by the Original Auerhahn Schuhplattlers, plus righteous clogging action from Pure Dynamics Cloggers. There will also be cocktails, wines, games and rides. Admission: $12 at the door.

Wharftoberfest

Noon Sept. 23 at The Wharf Fort Lauderdale, 20 W. Las Olas Blvd.; 954-372-7606; WharfFTL.com

For a river-adjacent Oktoberfest experience, raise das boot at The Wharf, downtown Fort Lauderdale’s reliable, open-air party monster. The pop-up biergarten will feature live German music along the New River, costumed revelry, decor and this killer pairing: Buy one shot of Jägermeister, receive a free German brew. Wharf vendors Knotty Burgers, The Piefather, Crème de la Crêpe and Los Altos Taqueria will serve food. Admission, which is free, allows children and leashed dogs until 6 p.m., after which The Wharf switches to a 21-and-older crowd.

Funky Buddha Brewery presents Oakland Park Oktoberfest

6-10 p.m. Oct. 6, 1-10 p.m. Oct. 7 and 1-7 p.m. Oct. 8 at Jaco Pastorius Park, 4000 N. Dixie Highway, Oakland Park; 954-630-4507; OaklandParkFl.gov

What makes Oakland Park, of all cities, the authority on Oktoberfest? The answer is a compelling story of … oh, look, a dachshund wearing an alpine hat and dirndl! Holy hefeweizen, that’s adorable. But where were we? Right: The city’s annual Bavarian celebration will return for three days at Jaco Pastorius Park alongside its centerpiece event, the Dachshund Dash, the annual running of costumed weenies to the finish line. There are also apple strudel-eating contests, stein and beer barrel races, and live music from Sepp Diepolder, Alpine Express and the ubiquitous Auerhahn Schuhplattlers. Next-door bierhaus Funky Buddha will handle the food and suds, which include Floridian Hefeweizen, Buddhafest (a caramel-accented amber marzen) and Saaz Matters (an earthy, herbal and crisp pilsner). Cost is $5 for general admission and free for children younger than 12.

Oktoberfest at Mathews Brewing Co.

2 p.m. Oct. 7 at 130 S. H St., Lake Worth Beach; 561-812-3738; MathewsBrewingCompany.com

Owner Dave Mathews’ 117-seat taproom in Lake Worth Beach is throwing a free-to-enter, daylong Oktoberfest bash in its dog-friendly beer garden with live bands, including power trio Maximum Friction (5-7:30 p.m.) and West Palm Beach country-rockers 56 Ace Band (8-11:30 p.m.) The brewery’s hefeweizens, Vienna and German lagers will cost $6.25 a pint, and Tightlines food truck will be on hand.

Oktoberfest at American German Club of the Palm Beaches

Oct. 13-15 and Oct. 20-22 at American German Club of the Palm Beaches, 5111 Lantana Road, Lake Worth Beach; 561-967-6464; OktoberfestFlorida.com

Over the course of two weekends, South Florida’s largest and most-authentic German bash draws north of 35,000 visitors. That’s a lot of bratwurst. The oompah band-playing, lederhosen-sporting, black forest cake-serving celebration returns with another round of family-friendly carnival rides. The American German Club of the Palm Beaches’ 49th annual event will also have live music from AGC Volkstanzgruppe, Black Thorne Pipe & Drum Band and Germany-based crowd-pleasers Heldensteiner HeuBodnBlosn, along with flag parades, Bavarian folk dancers — and no shortage of savory German cuisine. Cost is $7 to $10 (free for children younger than 7), plus $20 for clubhouse parking and $25 for optional unlimited rides, via Eventbrite.com.

Fort Lauderdale Firefighters’ 11th annual Oktoberfest

2-6 p.m. Oct. 14 at 309 SW 26th St., Fort Lauderdale; 954-761-1532; Facebook.com/FLFireBA

Raising money for sick and injured firefighters is the ambitious goal behind this fundraising bash, which will pit five to 10 home brewers in a competition judged by beer experts. Proceeds from the $25 admission benefit the Fort Lauderdale Firefighters Benevolent Association. “This is a fund that we grow in case, god forbid, something happens around the corner and firefighters need help,” says organizer Aaron Caja, a driver-engineer at Station 29 in east Fort Lauderdale. “When that need arises, the money will be there.” Pompano Beach restaurant Checkers Old Munchen will donate the food and ticketbuyers can taste unlimited beer samples. Home brews will be assayed by Julian Siegel (Tarpon River Brewing), Jimmy DiFrisco of LauderAle, and certified beer cicerone Gary Fuller.