You don’t need a plane ticket to Munich for a proper stein-raising, pretzel-eating, polka-dancing good time — though if you’ve actually been to Munich, you know the bar is high. Beer gardens for days, oompah bands playing until your ears ring, merrymaking that borders on a religious experience. Long Beach isn’t recreating all of that at Theresienwiese scale, but our version comes with better weather, a much shorter walk home, and enough spread across the city that you could genuinely bar-crawl your way through an entire Oktoberfest season without repeating a venue. Here’s every confirmed 2026 event, in order, with everything you need to actually show up.
Rasselbock Kitchen & Beer Garden — Oktoberfest Kick Off Party
4020 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90807 (Bixby Knolls) | Saturday, September 21, starting 3pm | Free entry, no cover — reservations requested but not required (food and drinks à la carte)
Bixby Knolls’ German institution goes all in every year, and 2026 is no exception. At 3pm they tap the ceremonial Oktoberfest keg — first pour’s on the house — with staff dressed in full lederhosen and dirndl, live music, decorations, and food specials like Bavarian pretzels, beer-braised pork shank, and Black Forest cake. The celebration then continues most Friday and Saturday nights through late October, so you’ve got weeks to make it happen. This is the traditional kickoff to LB’s whole Oktoberfest season.
SteelCraft Long Beach — 3-Day Oktoberfest Weekend
3768 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, CA | Friday, Sept 25 (6–10pm) · Saturday, Sept 26 (2:30–10pm) · Sunday, Sept 27 (1–5pm) | Free entry, free parking — food and drinks purchased à la carte from SteelCraft’s vendors
This is the one that goes all out — literally. SteelCraft is calling this their first-ever 3-day Oktoberfest weekend, expanding the celebration into the parking lot for the first time. Friday kicks off with an opening celebration and live entertainment; Saturday is the big one, a full day of live music, games, steins, and pop-up shops; Sunday winds down laid-back and family-friendly. Past years have brought wiener dog races, a best-dressed lederhosen/dirndl contest, and stein-holding competitions, so expect the same kind of chaos worked into this year’s schedule. Since SteelCraft’s whole concept is a rotating lineup of local food vendors, you can pair your beer with everything from smash burgers to Korean BBQ instead of just bratwurst. Sunday afternoon is your best bet if you want the family-friendly version.
Long Beach Oktoberfest Bar Crawl
Starts at Altar Society Brewing and Coffee Co., 230 Pine Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802 | Saturday, September 26, 4–10pm | Tiered pricing on Eventbrite starting around $7–13 (rises as the date approaches) — no cover once you have the wristband. 21+, no refunds.
For the 21-and-up crowd who wants to make a full afternoon of it, this self-guided Oktoberfest Bar Crawl is the move. Check in at Altar Society for your wristband and digital crawl map, then hit 4+ participating bars across downtown for drink specials and no-cover entry throughout the night. It’s basically a scavenger hunt where the prize is beer, which — no notes.
Port City Tavern — 4th Annual Oktoberfest for St. Baldrick’s
4306 E. Anaheim St, Long Beach, CA 90804 | Saturday, September 26, 3–10pm | No cover, all ages welcome — a fundraiser for St. Baldrick’s Foundation (childhood cancer research)
This one at Port City Tavern comes with a genuinely good cause attached. Expect a biergarten, live music on the outdoor stage, games and contests, and food and drink specials — plus the option to get your head shaved on-site in solidarity with kids battling cancer, with attendees fundraising via their own pages. Good beer, good music, better reason to go.
Long Beach Beer Lab — 9th Anniversary & Oktoberfest
518 W Willow St, Long Beach, CA 90806 (Wrigley Backlot) | Sunday, October 11, 12–5pm | Preorder online for the best pricing:
- Token Bundle: 10 tokens for $40 online (tokens are $5 each at the festival) — save $10
- Small Stein (16oz): $13 online presale ($15 at the festival), first fill included
- Large Stein (32oz): $23 online presale ($25 at the festival), first fill included
- Preorder here: lbbeer.com/9th-anniversary-oktoberfest
If you’re the type who prefers a smaller, more neighborhood-y celebration, this is the move. Beer Lab’s combined 9th-anniversary and Oktoberfest bash — playfully branded “Tikitoberfest,” blending tropical and Bavarian vibes — brings live music all afternoon, the debut of new beers made specifically for the occasion, exclusive anniversary merch, small-biz pop-up vendors, a stein-holding competition, and kids’ activities like bounce houses, face painting, and balloon twisting. Preordering tokens and a stein online skips the line and saves you a few bucks, so it’s worth doing ahead of time if you know you’re going. It’s the latest-running event on this list, which makes it a good way to close out the season once everyone else’s Oktoberfest has wrapped.
What to Actually Wear
You do not need actual lederhosen (although if you own some, this is your moment). A flannel and a good pair of boots will get you 90% of the way to “festive” without looking like you raided a costume shop. Save the full Bavarian getup for the bar crawl or Rasselbock — that’s where people commit.
When to Go
Long Beach’s 2026 Oktoberfest season runs from Rasselbock’s kickoff on September 21 through Beer Lab’s anniversary bash on October 11, with the biggest cluster of events happening the last weekend of September. If you only have one weekend to give to this, that last weekend of September is it — SteelCraft, the downtown bar crawl, and Port City Tavern’s fundraiser all land within days of each other.
Where are You Celebrating Oktoberfest in Long Beach?
You don’t have to choose just one. Rasselbock for the most authentic German spread in town, SteelCraft for the family-friendly daytime vibe, the downtown crawl for a proper night out, Port City Tavern if you want your beer to come with a side of giving back, and Beer Lab if you want something low-key to close things out — Long Beach genuinely gives you range for a holiday that started 6,000 miles away and somehow feels completely at home here.
FAQs
When is Oktoberfest in Long Beach in 2026? Long Beach’s Oktoberfest season runs from Rasselbock’s kickoff on September 21 through Long Beach Beer Lab’s anniversary bash on October 11. The biggest weekend is September 25–27, when SteelCraft, the downtown bar crawl, and Port City Tavern’s fundraiser all overlap.
Which Long Beach Oktoberfest event is free? Rasselbock, SteelCraft, and Port City Tavern all have free entry with no cover charge — you just pay for food and drinks once you’re there. The Oktoberfest Bar Crawl is ticketed (wristbands starting around $7–13 on Eventbrite), and Beer Lab’s event is free to enter but sells preorder tokens and steins for drinks (10 tokens for $40, steins from $13).
Do I need a reservation for any of these? Only Rasselbock takes reservations, and even those aren’t guaranteed — they’re requested online and held for 15 minutes. Everything else is walk-in.
Which event is the most family-friendly? SteelCraft’s Sunday session (1–5pm) and the daytime portion of Rasselbock’s celebration are your best bets for kids. Port City Tavern is all ages too. The downtown bar crawl is 21+ only.
Do I actually need lederhosen or a dirndl? No, but it helps you get into the spirit — especially at Rasselbock and the bar crawl, where costumes are part of the fun. A flannel and boots will get you most of the way there if you’d rather not commit.
Is parking easy at any of these? SteelCraft has a free lot directly across Long Beach Blvd. Rasselbock and Port City Tavern are both in neighborhood strips with street parking. Downtown for the bar crawl is your typical weekend-night situation — arrive early or plan to rideshare.
