Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest 2022

Oktoberfest, Fort Benning’s favorite fall tradition and most authentic Oktoberfest in the area, returns to Uchee Creek from Friday, October 21 – Sunday, October 23. Celebrate Oktoberfest traditions and German culture with us; we will bring you a little bit of Germany with our very own ‘Oktoberfest Wiesn’.

Put on your ‘Dirndl’ or ‘Lederhosen’, pack up the family and the dogs and enjoy authentic German food and brews in our BIERGARTEN (beer garden) while being entertained by traditional German music. Sonnenschein Express and the Queen of Oktoberfest, Manuela Horn, will fly in from Germany; and the fantastic Maneuver Center of Excellence Band will perform as well. All weekend long!

Our KINDER WIESN (children’s area) provides fun activities for the entire day. Inflatables, petting zoo, pony rides, drum circle, pumpkin patch, quad jump, games, arts & crafts, carnival rides (Ferris wheel, teacups, merry-go-round), and so much more! But we don’t stop here – the Queen of Oktoberfest will have special performances for the kids.

And every year we are adding another excitement to the list: NEW this year -> our SPORTHEIM (sports home)!  We will turn the Uchee Creek Activity Center into a real German SPORTHEIM (sports home) – while you eat your Bratwurst and enjoy a good German beer, watch College football and NFL games on 6 large TV’s all weekend long!

Like in Munich, the keg tapping ceremony in the BIERGARTEN kicks off the Oktoberfest. As per Fort Benning tradition, on Friday at 6 p.m. the MCoE Band will play the American and German anthem, Fort Benning’s leadership will welcome everyone, and the keg will be tapped. Once you hear “O’Zapft is” (“it’s tapped), the festivities have started.

On Saturday, we start the day with our annual cross country 5K Dirndl Dash and 10K Lederhosen Leap run as well as our famous Volksmarch. Register in advance and make sure you get your T-shirt! See below for information about registration and the route.

Dog contests start after lunch, we’ll have many adult games like keg tossing, stein relay, beer pong, and of course – our annual Stein Hoisting and Mr. & Mrs. Oktoberfest competitions, see below for detailed information and registration.

On Sunday, in old German tradition, we host our annual Crossroads church service at the Oktoberfest, an Oktoberfest Mass. The Wiesn church service is a longstanding tradition at the Munich Oktoberfest. Join us at 11 a.m. in our Biergarten for our non-denominational church service while enjoying a Schnitzel, Bratwurst or whatever the heart desires.

If you didn’t catch one of our hayrides on Saturday, make sure you do it Sunday.

Admission and parking are free! Three days of fun for the whole family, Oktoberfest is pet friendly and open to the public! Civilians do not need to acquire a visitor’s pass for this event if using Highway 165 to enter Uchee Creek.

Shuttle service will be available from 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. to and from Oktoberfest on post, Saturday only. Pets are not permitted on the shuttle. 

Oktoberfest vendors accept only tokens for the purchase of food. Tokens, $1 each, are available to purchase in advance, see below for locations, dates, and times. You can always purchase them at the event.

Check the food section below to see what our vendors offer and how many tokens you need.  

Fort Benning’s annual Oktoberfest is a three-day event that features endless family-friendly fun, free live entertainment and activities, games and carnival rides, children’s activities and the best variety of authentic German food, music, and brews. There is something for everyone. All times are EST – remember, Uchee Creek is Alabama, your phones will turn to CT time.

Fort Benning’s Oktoberfest is presented by Fort Benning’s Qualified Recycle Program.

Sponsored by KIA Autosport.

Sponsorship does not imply endorsement.

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