This is a limited review as I don't drink. I wish they can figure out how to provide the merriment for non-drinkers and still allow for mingling with the crowd. This year, 2019, they are charging $20 to basically walk through the fence. That's quite steep, and I turned around on Friday. On Sunday, the Family Day with the wiener dog race, the fences are reconfigured to allow for wandering of more of the grounds without having to pay. Alas, it rained the entire day. I understand not every festival can be free. I understand there are laws that govern separation of alcoholic beverages from minors. I just wish the cost to enter the grounds is not $20, so I can have flexibility to choose which of the three days to go that has better weather. In short, this event is one of the few events in Kirkland that is not all that family friendly. For the records, kids in Germany do attend the Oktoberfest in Munich. It IS supposed to be a family event. read more

Kirkland Oktoberfest - 2019 Kirkland Oktoberfest - Festivals Near Me - Kirkland, Washington

This place is a blast! We've gone for a few years now and always have fun. The price is pretty high for drinks (aka tickets) but not higher than any other major event (think $12 beers at the stadium) read more

This was my first Kirkland Oktoberfest and there were a few pros and cons on spending a Sunday afternoon here. Pros: - it was held outside in the sun next to the waterfront - lots of fun free games to play like Connect 4, giant jenga, corn hole & beer Pong - beers and ciders were nice and easy to get - food stalls took credit card - entertaining MC for Stein Holding competition - found free street parking 2 blocks away - you can reenter Cons: - really poor organization in checking in. If you had tickets you had to wait at least 30 minutes to get in because they had to check bags and let you buy a glass & drink tickets before getting into the event - reentry was annoying as when we exited we were told we could come back that way but then tod we couldn't by a different person - schedule was different online than at the event - no healthy food options or ice cream stalls in the festival - no free water available at the bars - paying $2 for a tiny bottle of water - had to leave the event to go and watch the wiener dog race then reenter again! All in all, I think I'd rather go to the Fremont Oktoberfest instead even though it was a nice sunny Sunday afternoon read more

See all

We had a blast! It was our first Oktoberfest since moving to Washington. There were great vendors, a variety of drinks (beer, cider, and cocktails), and some great activities! I think the only thing I wish that there had been more of were vendors and gluten free options. When I've been to other Oktoberfests they had tons of vendors and it made it all the more fun! Also, having more gluten free food options is always a plus (in my book). read more

See all

We loved our experience at Oktoberfest! I did not feel it was a place for kids (although it sounds like Sunday is open to everyone). I heard in the past they ran out of beer and food which is pretty ridiculous but that goes to show how popular of an event it is. All-in-all it was pretty entertaining and the clientele was appropriate (and not a bunch of drunken fools as you might expect in Seattle.) Girls, why do you have to dress like skanks to enjoy Oktoberfest? Put some clothes on... Good times overall. Will be back this year (even though the Groupon tickets didn't include beer this time!) read more

Kirkland Oktoberfest - Festivals Near Me - Kirkland, Washington

See all

2022 Organizers need to secure more vendors for this event and reconfigure the flow of people traffic to vendors: limited food/ beer vendors, line stretched 50-60 people for bratwurst alone; concentrated people disproportionately into the Marina Park parking lot. Some vendors were unscrupulous tacking on fictitious fees to food orders. Music was good, people & dog watching fun, near waterfront great, but space limited. Overall overpriced on beer and food for a town market/fair. If you go, know you are paying $10+/beer and $30/ person to enter a meager Oktoberfest. read more

This is the second Kirkland Oktoberfest we've attended. The food, beer and live music were great on this sunny Sunday afternoon. I was disappointed again this year with the disorganized check-in. The wait times were long especially for those who pre-purchased tickets. I was really disappointed with the weenie race. Who ever was in charge of this event evidently didn't know the difference between a dachshund and a Boston terrier. The Boston terrier won 1st place in the final race making the whole idea of having a weenie race quite ironic. I plan to enter my greyhound next year:) read more

Bought a groupon which was the equivalent value to entry + 5 tickets. After having to wait 45 minutes in line to get in, they said it didn't include drink tickets, so they groupon ended up being worthless. Once in, the event timing was completely wrong and everything was happening at random times or not at all. There was no water available, you had to leave the venue to get access to the fountain next to the toilets, then line up to get back in. The giant jenga, and connect 4 was fun. Wanted to see keg rolling but that never happened. read more

What a great event in Kirkland! Lots of food, drinks, entertainment and crafts. Beautiful venue. Lots of things for both kids and adults to do. There is a cardboard boat race ! People get serious about their cardboard boats! Techie tent with robots. It's just a fun time! read more

See all

Definitely not worth the price of tickets and beer. An Oktoberfest that runs out of beer? Munich would be very disappointed in them. Not well organized either. read more

This is a great event to attend on the Eastside, but the format is different compared to other beer festivals I've been to. You have to pay for admission to enter, which does not include the cost of beer, so beer is a la carte. Fortunately though, I was able to find admission tickets on Groupon so only paid half-price (seven instead of 15 bucks). To get a commemorative Kirkland Oktoberfest glass, it's 10 bucks and that comes with six tickets, which is good for one beer. So, basically you're paying four dollars for a slightly bigger glass that you can keep instead of just buying beer that's served in a plastic 16-oz. cup. But if you buy a larger glass like a stein, then you're charged for two beers instead of one to fill the glass. All the beer is six bucks, which requires tickets, hence six tickets for one beer. Since all the beer was the same amount of tickets and price, I think it would've been easier if they had just given a voucher or stamp-card that you can carry or even, collect just one ticket, to check off however much beer you purchase and drink. There is German beer and local breweries serving mostly German-style beer like lager and Oktoberfest (but found a few serving IPAs, which is my personal favorite). The beer hall was really fun with live music and entertainment. There was also another area for live music out on the lawn by the gazebo. In the gazebo there were two TVs playing college football and some games like beer pong and giant Jenga, in addition to local breweries serving beer. By the waterfront they set up a human-size foosball game, which looked really fun and a lot of people were waiting in line to play. In the parking lot were food stands, with the Munchen Haus being the most popular since it was the only one serving brats, sausages, and pretzel rolls. There are also some food stands and trucks right outside of the festival, too. This is a fun festival, that can be costly, depending on how much beer you can drink. But it's definitely the best Oktoberfest event on the Eastside. read more

Overall great event. Except one really bad management decision. They stamp your wrist when you enter. You need to pay an additional fee to re-enter. I can't eat the bad food they chose to serve via the food trucks. I needed something healthy, there were no other options in the venue. So, I wanted to leave and eat healthy food at a local restaurant, but I had to pay the entrance fee AGAiN to re-enter. Bad customer service decision on their part. read more

Kirkland is beautiful downtown and there are things to do for the whole family; however, this is a big miss for a german festival as you can't take your kids inside the biergarten and they don't sell beer outside of the biergarten - what a shame and a waste of time for families who are looking to enjoy Oktoberfest...better to make the drive to Leavenworth. read more