Oktoberfest Kickoff Party
September 19, 2026 12:00 PM
WHEN
Saturday, September 19th
Starting at Noon
LOCATION
Dacha Shaw
1600 7th St NW
ABOUT
Dust off your Dirndls and Lederhosen, folks: Oktoberfest is back!
It all kicks off on Saturday, September 19th with our ceremonial keg tapping at noon. Wear your traditional Bavarian garb for a free festbier, and stay all day for contests and prizes.
The Festivities
12:00 PM — Weihenstephan Ceremonial Keg Tapping
Help us officially kick off Oktoberfest with a ceremonial tapping of Weihenstephan, the world’s oldest continuously operating brewery. Grab a boot, raise it high, and Prost! Weare your dirndl or lederhosen for free pour from the keg!
2:00 PM — Stein Holding Contest
Think you can outlast the competition? Put your strength to the test in our Men’s & Women’s Stein Holding Championships. Hold that liter high and don’t drop it!
3:00 PM — Pretzel Eating Competition
Come hungry. Our pretzel-eating competition puts your appetite to the ultimate Oktoberfest test. Fastest pretzel wins!
Bring your friends, break out the lederhosen and dirndls, and spend the afternoon celebrating Oktoberfest at DC’s best beer garden.
Check out our happenings page and Eventbrite for the full lineup of events.
RSVP