Oktoberfest on the South Shore 2026: Where to Raise a Stein, Close to Home and a Short Drive Away

The steins are coming out early this year. Long Island's Oktoberfest season does not wait for October: most of it runs from the last weekend of September through Columbus Day, and the first two weekends of October are the busiest of all. So here is the plan before the pretzels sell out.

We split it the way we always do. Close to home is our own stretch of the South Shore, from Babylon to Patchogue, a short drive or a cheap ride home. A short drive away is for the day you want a little more, a village street festival, a German beer hall with a brass band, or a farm brewery out east. Dates change, and a few of our local regulars have not posted this year's yet, so every stop links back to the organizer's own page. Read it before you go, and plan the ride home before the first stein.

If you only go once

Let the kind of day you want make the call.

For the prettiest afternoon, Oktoberfest in the Vines at Loughlin Vineyard in Sayville runs Sunday, October 18, with German beers poured next to the estate wines. For a pub night in town, The Patch Bar and Grill in Patchogue holds its Octoberfest the same Sunday, with pumpkin beer, food specials, and games. And for something different, the Cull House in Sayville puts oysters and Oktoberfest on one table for its Shucktoberfest on Saturday, October 24.

Close to home

Great South Bay Brewery, Bay Shore

This one has wrapped for 2026. Bay Shore's own brewery turns the first weekend of October into its Oktoberfest weekend: a ticketed Friday night show, then a free Saturday afternoon that works for the whole family.

• Dates: Friday, October 2 and Saturday, October 3, 2026
• Hours: Friday 7:00 PM, two sets; Saturday 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM
• Tickets: Friday $15, ticket link in the brewery's Instagram bio; Saturday is free, with an RSVP encouraged at tinyurl.com/artaleoktoberfest2026
• Good to know: Friday, The Warped Tour Band kicks things off with a stein-holding contest between sets, and Tattoo Afterlife tattoos in Ghost Brewery all night; Saturday's Art + Ale Oktoberfest brings live music by the Great South Bay Brass Quintet, vendors of all kinds, a stein-holding contest, and special Oktoberfest menu items; find it at 25 Drexel Drive, Bay Shore.

The Snapper Inn, Oakdale

This one has wrapped for 2026. A waterfront restaurant on the Connetquot River that makes Oktoberfest an annual Sunday tradition.

• Dates: Sunday, October 11, 2026
• Hours: 1 to 5 PM, per the Snapper Inn's own Oktoberfest page
• Admission: a $10 cover charge; the $50 package adds unlimited beer and a collector mug
• Good to know: a DJ, German food, and a beer garten, per the Snapper Inn's own page; the week after brings Oyster Week, October 14 through 18, and on Saturday, October 24 the Connetquot River Halloween boat parade at about 5:30 PM with Grucci fireworks at about 7:30 PM.

Booktoberfest at Blue Point Brewing, Patchogue

This one has wrapped for 2026. The Patchogue-Medford Library brings its Booktoberfest to the brewery, pairing local craft beer with the history and culture behind every pour.

• Dates: Wednesday, October 7, 2026
• Hours: 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
• Admission: free, 21 and over
• Good to know: hosted by the Patchogue-Medford Library at the Blue Point Brewing brewpub in Patchogue; the library's event page now says this event is full.

Fadeley's Deli Pub, Patchogue

A German-style deli and pub on West Main Street that runs its own Rocktoberfest, local bands with a German pour.

• Dates: the 3rd annual Rocktoberfest kicked off September 19 with local bands; check the pub's Instagram for what comes next
• Good to know: sponsored by Paulaner; find it on West Main Street in Patchogue.

Oktoberfest in the Vines, Loughlin Vineyard, Sayville

The Sayville vineyard gives a Sunday afternoon over to Oktoberfest, pouring German beers next to its own estate wines with a seat waiting among the vines.

• Dates: Sunday, October 18, 2026
• Hours: 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM
• Admission: not posted; check the organizer's page for admission
• Good to know: Orchard Street serves a German-inspired menu, Smorgasband plays live German music from 1:00 to 4:00 PM, and the afternoon runs to pretzels, sausages, and singalongs; reservations are highly recommended, since only a limited number of walk-ins will be taken; find it at 299 Middle Road, Sayville.

Octoberfest at The Patch Bar & Grill, Patchogue

The waterfront bar on Baker Place gives Patchogue a family-friendly Octoberfest, with pumpkin beer for the grown-ups and pumpkins for the kids to paint.

• Dates: Sunday, October 18, 2026
• Hours: starts at 1:00 PM
• Admission: not posted; check The Patch's Instagram before you go
• Good to know: pumpkin painting, pumpkin beer, food specials and games; find it at 31 Baker Place, Patchogue.

Shucktoberfest at The Cull House, Sayville

Sayville's seafood spot puts oysters and Oktoberfest on the same table for its third annual Shucktoberfest.

• Dates: Saturday, October 24, 2026
• Hours: 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM; the buffet starts at 5:00 PM
• Tickets: buy in advance, online or by calling the restaurant; tiers run from $40 (beer and wine only, or oysters only) to $130 (buffet, oysters, beer and wine)
• Good to know: live music and free parking; the Cull House says its first two years sold out.

Women of West Islip Oktoberfest, West Islip

The 15th annual fundraiser and basket auction at the West Islip Firehouse. Last year's sold out.

• Dates: Thursday, October 29, 2026
• Hours: starts at 5:00 PM
• Tickets: not posted yet; the group says more details are to follow
• Good to know: find it at the West Islip Firehouse, 309 Union Boulevard.

The regulars, 2026 dates still coming

These South Shore spots all ran an Oktoberfest last fall and have not posted this year's date yet. We list last year's so you know roughly when to look, and we will update this page the moment each one confirms.

• Post Office Cafe, Babylon: last year October 10 to 12, Columbus Day weekend
• Take Two Brewery, Bay Shore: last year Saturday, October 4
• Dang BBQ, Islip: last year Saturday, October 4, its first Oktoberfest

A short drive away

Lindenhurst Oktoberfest, Wellwood Avenue

Lindenhurst's village street festival, run with the Lindenhurst Rotary Club for about 30 years, is one of the longest-running Oktoberfests on the South Shore, about 15 minutes west of Babylon.

• Dates: usually the first Sunday of October; last year Sunday, October 5, 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM; the 2026 date is not posted yet
• Good to know: Wellwood Avenue closes between John Street and Gates Avenue for a beer garden, German food, bands, a stein-holding contest, a classic car show, and bounce houses for the kids; check the village's page before you go.

Village Lanterne, Lindenhurst

Lindenhurst's German restaurant, a brat and a beer any night of the season, no festival date needed.

• Dates: open all season
• Good to know: German food and beer at 155 North Wellwood Avenue; this year's Lindenhurst Historical Society Volksmarch, the three-mile walk that ends there, already ran on Sunday, September 27.

Downtown Brentwood Oktoberfest, Brentwood

This one has wrapped for 2026. The 16th annual street festival, ten minutes north of Bay Shore.

• Dates: Saturday, October 10, 2026
• Hours: 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM
• Good to know: food and drinks, games, shopping, and family fun in downtown Brentwood, per the organizer's own announcement.

Ronktoberfest at Station Yards, Ronkonkoma

The Station Yards development by the Ronkonkoma train station turns a Sunday afternoon into an Oktoberfest for the whole family.

• Dates: Sunday, October 18, 2026 (a new date, moved by the organizer)
• Hours: 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
• Good to know: live music by The Bratwurst Boys, food and drink specials, a stein-holding contest, German dancing, and activities for all ages; about 20 minutes from Bay Shore.

Plattduetsche Park, Franklin Square

Long Island's standing German beer hall, run the way it has been for generations. The October nights bring live German bands and dancers in traditional dress.

• Dates: Friday, October 2; Saturday, October 3; Thursday, October 9; Saturday, October 10; Sunday, October 11; Wednesday, October 14, 2026
• Hours: October 2, 3, 9, and 10, 6:30 PM to 10:30 PM; October 11, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM; October 14, 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
• Cover: $8 for the October 2, 3, 9, 10, and 11 nights
• Good to know: Johnny Koenig on October 2; die Spitzbuam with the Original Enzian dancers on October 3 and 10; The Adlers on Thursday, October 9; the Foehrer Musik Freunde brass band on the Sunday afternoon of October 11, the gentlest pick for kids; October 14 is an accordion night in The Hive with a mug-holding contest at 8:00 PM, and reservations are strongly suggested; find it at 1132 Hempstead Turnpike, about 35 minutes from Bay Shore. Wednesday, October 14 is the last listed night.

Oktoberfest at the Barn, Old Bethpage Village Restoration

This one has wrapped for 2026. The historic village's first-ever Oktoberfest, German-American harvest traditions in an 1800s farm setting.

• Dates: Saturday, October 3, 2026
• Hours: 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
• Good to know: tickets are sold through the Nassau County parks site, linked from Old Bethpage Village Restoration's events page; find it at 1303 Round Swamp Road, Old Bethpage, about 30 minutes from Bay Shore.

Seaford Oktoberfest, Seaford

This one has wrapped for 2026. A chamber of commerce street festival right at the train station, which makes it the easiest trip on this page for anyone who would rather not drive home.

• Dates: Saturday, October 3, 2026
• Hours: 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM
• Good to know: vendors, food trucks, a beer garden, live music, a kids' fun zone, and a craft market in the west parking field; it sits at the Seaford LIRR station along Sunrise Highway between Seamans Neck Road and Jackson Avenue, about 25 minutes from Bay Shore.

Long Island Farm Brewery, Manorville

This one has wrapped for 2026. Nearly two weeks of Oktoberfest on a working farm, and it pairs perfectly with a pumpkin run, since the brewery sits at Waterdrinker Family Farm's Manorville location.

• Dates: through Sunday, October 4, 2026 (started September 22)
• Hours: Tuesday to Thursday 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM; Friday 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM; Saturday 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM; Sunday 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM
• Good to know: Oktoberfest, Hefeweizen, and Wet Hop Kolsch releases, limited-edition steins, stein-holding competitions Fridays at 6:00 PM and weekends at 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM, Oktoberfest bands on the weekends, and food trucks with German specials; Oktoberfest trivia on September 30; find it at 663 Wading River Road, about 40 minutes from Bay Shore.

Before you go

• Plan the ride home first. Seaford and Station Yards in Ronkonkoma both sit right by an LIRR station; everywhere else, pick a driver before the first stein.
• Mark October 3. Great South Bay, Plattduetsche, Old Bethpage, and Seaford all land on the same Saturday, so go early.
• Bring the kids to the daytime ones. The Great South Bay Saturday, Seaford, Old Bethpage, Brentwood, Ronkonkoma's Station Yards, Lindenhurst's street festival, the farm brewery, and Plattduetsche's Sunday afternoon brass band suit families best; the evening beer-hall nights are for grown-ups.
• Watch for the regulars. The local spots still to announce usually post a week or two ahead, and this page updates when they do.
• Check the organizer's page before you drive. Times and covers shift through the season, and every stop here links to its own page at the end of this guide.