Oktoberfest may belong to Munich, but Germany certainly doesn’t have a monopoly on the party.

What began as a royal wedding celebration more than 200 years ago has gone seriously global, inspiring massive beer gatherings from Canada to Brazil and Australia.

Some stay surprisingly true to their Bavarian roots. Others take the basic idea of beer, bratwurst and lederhosen and run with it.

And with Oktoberfest season already underway, here are four celebrations that are still worth chasing down in 2026.

Munich, Germany – Where It All Began

There are Oktoberfest celebrations, and then there’s Oktoberfest.

Munich’s legendary festival dates back to 1810, when the city threw a massive public celebration for the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen.

More than two centuries later, the party has gotten considerably bigger.

Today Oktoberfest takes over Munich’s Theresienwiese with enormous beer tents, Bavarian bands, carnival rides and staggering amounts of roast chicken, sausages and pretzels.

And then there’s the beer.

Only beer brewed within Munich’s city limits by the city’s six traditional Oktoberfest breweries can be served at the main festival, making this as much a celebration of Munich brewing as anything else.

The 2026 Munich Oktoberfest runs from September 19 through October 4. If you’re looking for the real thing, this is ground zero.

Kitchener-Waterloo, Canada – Oktoberfest Goes Canadian

Canada definitely knows its way around beer, so it’s hardly surprising that it also knows how to throw a serious Oktoberfest celebration.

Ontario’s Kitchener-Waterloo region has deep German roots, and its annual celebration has grown into Canada’s largest Bavarian festival.

Unlike Munich, the party isn’t confined to one giant festival ground. Events take place throughout the region in Festhallen filled with German food, live music, dancing and, naturally, plenty of beer.

But this Oktoberfest also comes with a distinctly Canadian twist.

Canadian Thanksgiving, a celebration of the autumn harvest, takes place on the second Monday of October. And in Kitchener-Waterloo, that holiday has become an important part of the Oktoberfest tradition, culminating in the festival’s annual Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The 58th Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest runs from September 25 through October 17, with events taking place on selected days throughout that stretch.

Things really heat up over Thanksgiving weekend, October 9-12, with the parade taking over the streets on Monday.

Blumenau, Brazil – Bavaria meets South America

This is where Oktoberfest starts getting interesting.

Blumenau sits in southern Brazil, thousands of miles from Bavaria, but the city’s German immigrant roots run deep.

And every October it throws one hell of a party.

Oktoberfest Blumenau combines German beer, food, traditional costumes and music with elaborate street parades and a distinctly Brazilian energy that makes the celebration very much its own thing.

The 41st Oktoberfest Blumenau takes over Parque Vila Germânica from October 7 through October 25, with eight official parades scheduled during its nearly three-week run.

It may not look much like Munich outside, but once the beer starts flowing nobody seems to mind.

Brisbane, Australia – Oktoberfest Down Under

October is springtime in Australia, which means Brisbane does Oktoberfest with sunshine.

And the city gives beer fans more than one way to celebrate.

The Brisbane German Club has been keeping the tradition alive for decades, and in 2026 its Oktoberfest celebration stretches across all five weekends in October, beginning October 2 and continuing through October 31.

Expect German beer and food, live entertainment, stein-holding competitions and enough lederhosen to temporarily make you forget you’re in Queensland.

Then there’s Oktoberfest in the Gardens, one of Australia’s biggest Oktoberfest parties, which takes over the Brisbane Showgrounds on Saturday, October 10 from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Oktoberfest under the Australian sun? There are worse ways to spend an October afternoon down under.

The Party Goes Global

More than 200 years after Munich threw a party for a royal wedding, Oktoberfest has become something much bigger than a single festival in Bavaria.

Canada throws in Thanksgiving, Brazil turns up the heat and Australia moves the party into spring.

And yes, Munich did start it.

But the rest of the world made it its own.

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