Oktoberfest 2025 will take place Friday, Sept. 26 from 3-10 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 27 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 28 from noon to 4 p.m. (carnival only).

Oktoberfest as a whole ends at 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27. The vendors pack up, the grills are cleaned and the signage comes down.

However, for families seeking a little more time to enjoy the Ferris wheel, games and carnival rides, the carnival reopens Sunday afternoon from Noon to 4 p.m.

For Carnival pricing on Sunday, visit the Carnival page. To see where the Carnival is on the map, visit the Map page.

Oktoberfest takes place in Downtown Lee's Summit! Please visit the Map page for more information regarding specific tent locations.

This is a family friendly event.

Attendees 16-and-under must have adult supervision.

Yes! Come on out and stay dry under our many tents, or step inside a nearby business to shop while any inclement weather passes.

There are several free parking lots located near festival grounds, including a free parking garage. Designated accessible spots can be found near Smoke Brewing Co. and City Hall.

Please view the festival Map page for more information.

The Festival is held in a mostly outdoor setting with uneven, paved terrain. At times, especially in the evenings, the festival may be crowded and difficult to maneuver in a wheelchair. We do offer disabled-accessible parking and disabled-accessible portable toilets.

Pets, aside from service animals, are not allowed. Thank you for your cooperation.

In an effort to ensure the safety and comfort of all attendees, backpacks are prohibited. We recommend using small diaper bags, purses, handbags, or fanny packs.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in making Oktoberfest 2025 a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.

Of course! We encourage you to dress in your best lederhosen and dirndl! You can enter our Fashion Faceoff to be considered the Best of the Fest.

If you happen to lose an item, please visit our Info Booth located on SE Main Street near the Chamber office.

Please visit our Info Booth on SE Main St. near the Chamber office to receive First Aid care. For a health emergency, please alert a Tent Manager or volunteer and call 9-1-1. Volunteers will be wearing Blue and Brown Oktoberfest shirts and will put you in contact with festival first responders.

Festival entry is free! Bring cash or card to purchase food, beverages and snacks - plus merchandise from more than 100 craft vendors!

Yes - we serve authentic German Meals inside German Town (located in the new Green Street market!).

For a full menu for each tent and location, please visit the Map page of the website.

Carnival Hours & Wristband Info

Friday, Sept. 26

Wristbands: $30

Sessions:

1. 4-9:30 p.m.
   

Saturday, Sept. 27

Wristbands: $30

Sessions:

1. 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

2. 4: 30-9: 30 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 28

Wristbands: $25

Sessions:

1. 12-4 p.m.

Wristbands give you access to unlimited rides!

For location information, please visit the Map page of our website.

• MUST BE 16 YEARS OLD OR WITH ADULT SUPERVISION

• NO FIREARMS OR WEAPONS

• NO SOLICITING OR UNAUTHORIZED FLYERS

• NO SMOKING

• NO BIKES, SKATEBOARDS OR ELECTRIC SCOOTERS

• NO OUTSIDE BEVERAGES

• NO FOUL LANGUAGE

• NO DOGS OR PETS (SERVICE DOGS ALLOWED)

• NO BACKPACKS

Smoking is not permitted. Thank you for your cooperation.

No, please refrain from biking or skating through the festival grounds.

You would assume by its name that the answer to “When is Oktoberfest?” would be obvious. But it is a trick question. Although Germany’s world-famous beer party ends in early October, strangely enough, most of the festival takes place in September. Here’s why Oktoberfest is celebrated in September.

A Royal Wedding

Oktoberfest dates back more than 200 years. In 1810, a festival was held in Bavaria to celebrate the marriage of the Crown Prince, Ludwig, to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festival was held in the middle of October, and lasted five days—hence “Oktoberfest.” Each year, the celebrations were repeated marking the couple’s anniversary, expanding from less than a week to more than two weeks and starting earlier in the fall.

Among the reasons for the move to September was the longer daylight in the evenings and a better chance for warmer weather for people to enjoy themselves. Originally, there was no beer involved, but as the years went on, tents were put up and beer was served to enhance the festivities.

Oktoberfest History Goes Back Even Further

Before refrigeration, beer made in the summer months would not taste good. In fact, according to the Culinary Institute of America’s Head Brewer Hutch Kugeman, there were even laws in what is now Germany forbidding the brewing of beer during the summer. So the Bavarians would make beer starting in the fall and right through winter. The late winter beers, called “Märzen”—because they were brewed in March—would then be stored in a dark cellar or cold cave.

Märzen had a relatively high alcohol content, acting as a preservative and enabling them to be stored through the summer months. Those kegs, though, had to be emptied in time for the grain harvest beginning in October. As early as the fifteenth century, a beer drinking festival would be held in September and run until the kegs were empty in early October.

The combination of the wedding celebration and the tradition of having to finish the remaining beer before the new harvest joined to create the Oktoberfest we know today. Although the original Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany has, for centuries, begun in September, it always wraps up the first weekend in October. This international celebration of beer is considered the world’s largest festival, and since 1810 has only been postponed due to wars and cholera epidemics.

Information taken from an article by the Culinary Institute of America.