Best places for Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest St. Alphonsus
1429 W Wellington Ave.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 525-0709
oktoberfestchicago.org

For a more intimate Oktoberfest experience in Chicago, Oktoberfest at St. Alphonsus is for you! It’s all happening from Sept. 26 through 28 — come out to St. Alphonsus Church for handmade bratwursts, live bands and, of course, lots of cold beer. This year, St. Alphonsus will also feature craft beer nights on Friday and Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m., participants receive a commemorative glass and a pretzel necklace, in addition to great bear. On the fest’s final day, Sunday, Sept. 28, admission is free for Family Day. From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., come out for fun for the entire family. And if there’s a game on that day you’d like to see, you can watch it there on a big screen tv.

Berghoff Oktoberfest
17 W. Adams St.
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 427-3170

2015 marks the 30th Annual Berghoff Oktoberfest, and there’s good reason why this particular celebration had been enjoyed and celebrated for three decades now, and is still going strong. Berghoff Oktoberfest is Chicago’s longest-running and largest Oktoberfest celebration and features free admission daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. From Sept. 16 – 18, there will be daily live music, dancing, ample Oktoberfest menu listings and beloved beer. The menu items will also include vegan and gluten-free selections, and parking codes are available on the website for discounted prices.

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Palatine Oktoberfest
150 W. Slade St.
Palatine, IL 60067
(847) 788-9022

Admission is free for the Palatine Oktoberfest taking place this year from Sept. 18 through the 20. Located in a heated tent, September can get chilly in Chicago, after all! The celebration will include not only food and beers, but wines as well for those who still want to celebrate but aren’t big beer drinkers. If you don’t want to drive, you don’t have to, as the Palatine Oktoberfest is taking place directly across from the Palating Metra train station! Come out for some live music and additional entertainment, Family Day children’s activities on Saturday, and a raffle offering baskets of goods each worth $500.

Naperville Oktoberfest
523 S. Webster St.
Naperville, IL 60540
(630) 420-6010

On Friday and Saturday, Oct.r 2 and 3, Oktoberfest will be celebrated at the Naper Settlement Museum, a large, 12-acre, indoor/outdoor pioneer village. If it’s chilly out, duck into the heated tent for some live music entertainment, both German oompah music and classic rock, and indulge in some German beer and delicious food. There will also be family-friendly activities going on for the whole crew on Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. Ample parking will be available in the Naper Settlement visitor’s lot, as well as the Municipal Parking Garage.

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Soon after earning her BA in journalism, Melanie Falina began writing about one of the loves of her life – music. Since then, she’s covered some of the biggest names in music, in addition to writing on an array of other topics as well. She has written for Black Belt magazine, KISS: The Official Authorized Quarterly Magazine, Examiner, AXS.com, Yahoo Voices, and more, and was editor for Don Lemmon’s KNOW HOW Book Three, Refuse To Fail. Melanie is also a poet with five published collections of poetry available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and various establishments.