The 2018 Oktoberfest at the Phoenix Club in Anaheim will kickoff on Friday, September 21, 2018 and conclude on Sunday, October 28, 2018. Come out for authentic German food, German beer under a giant beer tent and folk dancers while partying like a German. Dust off your finest lederhosen and polish your best stein and indulge in beer-drinking and sausage-eating contests, watch dancers and take in the festivities.
Oktoberfest Activities
- Beer drinking & sausage eating contest
- Shooting gallery: The Phoenix Schützen (traditional air rifle club) will have the rifle range open to the public on set days
- Air rifle shooting contests
- Youth dance group performances
- Twist and shout balloon twisters
- Opening day parade
Oktoberfest Activities for Kids
Children’s playground and activities are available everyday plus…
- Bounce house
- Choo-Choo
- Fire engine
- Hay rides
- Del Rio Stables and Equestrian Center will host $5.00 Pony Rides for the kids all Sundays in October.
Oktoberfest Entertainment
The biergarten features traditional Oom Pah Pah accordion-laced polka bands playing everyday. Schuhplattler performs most Saturdays and every Sunday. Bavaria comes to Anaheim with Musikkapelle Rottenbuch.
- MusikMelster DJ
- The Express Band
- Musikkapelle Rottenbuch
- Odenwälder Dirndljaeger
- Schuhplattler folk dancers
Oktoberfest Food
German food includes generous portions of bratwurst, roasted chicken, schnitzel, Strassburger wurstsalat (Bavarian-style potato salad), schweinshaxn and knödel, or a roasted ham hock with bread dumplings.
Oktoberfest Drinks
There is a full variety of on German beers on tap or by bottle. There is also wine and liquor.
Some of the German beers include:
- Schöfferhofer
- Bitburger Braugruppe
- Paulaner Munchen
- Hacker-Pschorr
- Benediktiner Weissbler
- Warsteiner
- Köstritzer Schwarzbier
Oktoberfest Details
What: Oktoberfest
Where: The Phoenix Club in Anaheim
1340 S. Sanderson Ave. Anaheim, CA 92806 (off 57 at Ball Rd.)
Date: Friday, September 21 – Sunday, October 28, 2018
Hours: Friday 6:00 pm – Midnight
Saturday 5 PM – Midnight
Sunday 12 PM – Midnight
Entrance fee: 18 yrs up – $10; Members $5; Kids free (under 18)
Food, Drinks, Games & Crafts additional cost
Sept. 28-Sept. 30 is military appreciation weekend. Active and retired military get in free with military ID, and bring in one guest for free as well.
Parking
Parking is free. Arrive early for easy parking. Carpooling is highly recommended.
Oktoberfest Tips
- Dress up for Oktoberfest in a traditional Bavarian outfit called Tracht (Tra-oct) or for women dirndl (DEERN-dul) dresses or for men leather lederhosen (LAY-der-hozen) shorts.
- Bring your own stein or drinking vessel.
- No table reservations. Table space can be claimed on a first-come, first-serve basis.
- As in Bavaria, it is not uncommon to share tables with strangers on busier weekends
- Buy tickets early to avoid lines
- Cash at gate and for food and beverage is recommended
Oktoberfest History
On October 12, 1810 there was a royal wedding where Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King Ludwig I, was married to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on 12 October 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities and hence Oktoberfest was born.
Oktoberfest traditionally starts in the third weekend in September and ends the first sunday of October. Today, the Oktoberfest in Munich is the largest festival in the world, with an international flavor characteristic of the 20th century.
Oktoberfest at the Phoenix Club started in 1961 as way to celebrate German heritage and educated non-Germans on the culture.
Did you know German immigrants helped establish Anaheim?
In 1857 a band of German immigrants established a vineyard colony that was incorporated 21 years later as the town of Anaheim. In fact Anaheim is a hybrid, combining the Spanish Ana (from the Santa Ana River) with the German heim (for home).