CINCINNATI — Prost! Oktoberfest Zinzinnati is returning to the Queen City to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
The annual festival, which is America's largest Oktoberfest celebration, returns to Cincinnati's riverfront from Sept. 17-20.
According to the festival's website, the festival drew a record more than 800,000 attendees in 2025. This year, the festival is back with expanded hours, kicking off Thursday, Sept. 17, instead of its usual Friday start.
The free four-day festival at Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove will have authentic Bavarian food, beer, live music and entertainment, including a massive 300-foot tent that seats more than 1,000 guests.
For the first time, this year's festival is also offering a VIP experience, with VIP attendees getting exclusive access, curated food and drinks, shaded seating, a souvenir mug, drink tickets and more. For more information about VIP tickets, click here.
If you're planning to don some lederhosen and head down to the festival, here's everything you need to know:
Entertainment
Those heading to Oktoberfest will be able to enjoy more than 30 different performances on various stages across the four days, including traditional German bands, crowd-favorite local bands, polka dancing and more.
There are seven different stages throughout the festival grounds: the Zinzinnati Festhalle Stage, River Stage, Radeberger Fest Tent, Stiegl Fest Tent, the Sports Zone, the VIP Fest Tent and the Zinzinnati Zirkus Stage.
Some of the bands and entertainment people can expect include The Klaberheads, Zinzinnati Bierband, The River City Polkatz, The Fest Meisters, Good Bellows and many more.
For the full entertainment schedule, click here.
Fan-favorite events
With Oktoberfest comes various fan-favorite events throughout the festival.
Here's when attendees can enjoy those:
- Gemutlichkeit Games — Thursday from 4:30-5:30 p.m. at the River Stage
- Stein Hoisting Competition — Friday from 6-7 p.m. at the River Stage
- Oktoberfest Zinzinnati 14K/7K Brewery Run — Saturday at 7:30 a.m. at the Zinzinnati Festhalle Stage
- World's Largest Chicken Dance — Saturday 3-3:30 p.m. at the River Stage
- The Running of the Wieners — Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the River Stage
For the full list of events throughout the weekend, click here.
Parking
Those looking for parking near Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove have several options, including thousands of spaces in the paid, surface lots along Eggleston Avenue, which is a short walk to the east entrance for the festival.
There is also free and metered parking along Riverside Drive.
Sawyer Point's main parking lot will be closed to the public for event vehicles.
Here are several other lots festival organizers point attendees to:
- Friendship Park Lot, 1135 Riverside Drive
- Public Landing Parking Lot, 435 E. Mehring Way
- Eggleston Garage, 301 Eggleston Avenue
- The Banks, including the Central Riverfront Garage and East Parking Garage
Public transit
Festival organizers do encourage attendees to utilize public transit or rideshare to the festival.
The Cincinnati Connector, the city's free streetcar, operates on a loop that spans from Over-the-Rhine, through downtown to The Banks and back. For those riding the streetcar to the festival, they'll want to take stop No. 1 at The Banks and then walk east on Pete Rose Way toward the festival's west entrance.
The streetcar will have extended hours during Oktoberfest:
- Monday through Friday — 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
- Saturday — 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
- Sunday — 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Cincinnati Metro bus system and Northern Kentucky's TANK buses will also be running. You can click here for Metro routes and here for TANK schedules.
For those using rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft, there are two drop-off and pick-up zones.
The east zone is located on East Pete Rose Way from the Purple People Bridge to Eggleston Avenue, but only in the south curb lane. The west zone is on East Mehring West from Old Broadway to the Public Landing entrance in the south curb lane only.
For more information about Oktoberfest Zinzinnati 2026, click here.
