Autumn in the North Bay means Oktoberfest events galore, lederhosen not required. The longtime Bavarian beer festival is transformed into funky and fresh events in Sonoma and Napa counties that highlight our foaming-over beer scene served with live entertainment.
Oddtoberfest St. Helena’s independent order of Odd Fellows debuts the inaugural Oddtoberfest with a mix of sumptuous food, local beers and music that embraces harvest time’s simple pleasures. Saturday, Sept. 30, at Odd
Fellows Hall #167, 1352 Main St., St. Helena. sh-oddfellows.org.
Bier Fest Twenty seventeen marks the 30th anniversary of the Napa Valley Brewing Company, brewed and sold exclusively in the Calistoga Inn. To mark the occasion, the inn opens its doors for an old-school Bier Fest with music from Americano Social Club, wood-fire-grilled meats and NVBC’s array of pilsners, ales and porters. Sunday, Oct. 1, Calistoga Inn, 1250 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga. calistogainn.com.
Oktoberfest at CIA Copia The Culinary Institute of America’s newest campus hosts its first Oktoberfest with a spotlight on local breweries, German food and tunes by Polkageist West. The family-friendly event is free, but with basic and VIP food and drink packages available. Saturday,
Oct. 14, CIA at Copia, 500 First St., Napa. ciaatcopia.com.
Cotati Oktoberfest Fun is the name of the game in the 11th annual Cotati Oktoberfest, which includes activities like wiener dog races, the tankard hoist, yodeling, a costume contest and more. Saturday, Oct. 14, La Plaza Park, West Sierra Avenue and Old Redwood Highway, Cotati. cotati.org.
Lagunitas Beer Circus The popular Lagunitas Beer Circus returns to Petaluma for more “freaktacular” high-flying acrobats, sideshow acts and burlesque ribaldry. This year, Lagunitas has chosen Petaluma’s Phoenix Theater as the recipient of the Beer Circus’ proceeds, supporting the longtime independent venue and its role as a teen service provider. Saturday, Oct. 21, Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds, 175 Fairgrounds Drive, Petaluma. lagunitas.com/beercircus.
Fünkendänk Oktoberfest SOMO Village’s second Fünkendänk Oktoberfest blends the latest craft-beer trends with groovy tunes. The fünk and dänk refers to the festival’s offerings of sour beers and hop-heavy ales. There will also be European lagers, served unfiltered from wooden kegs for classic-beer fans. The funk also comes from musical headliners the Motet, a booty-shaking outfit nearly 20 years in the making. New Orleans jam band superstars Dragon Smoke, San Francisco party-starters Afrolicious and North Bay bands Frobeck, the Pulsators and Saffell also perform. Saturday, Oct. 21,
at SOMO Village Event Center, 1100 Valley House Drive, Rohnert Park. somoconcerts.com.
