Oktoberfest closer to home: Five U.S. festivals

16:26, 22 September 2012

LONDON. September 22. KAZINFORM Oktoberfest kicks off in Munich on September 22. But Munich is across an ocean - and ocean-crossing plane tickets are expensive, as are hotels and transportation and schnitzel. Fortunately, there are beer festivals across the United States running parallel to the fest's official September 22-October 7 schedule.

Look out for the smaller festivals if you want a more intimate experience, advises Derek Buono, publisher of Beer Magazine. If you're after new flavors, keep an eye out for fests that stock rare brews.

If you prefer a party, the biggest festivals emphasize atmosphere, scheduling bands and food vendors, in addition to breweries.

Your biggest problems, suggests Buono, will be picking one beer festival, because there are so many.

Here are five festivals to choose from so Oktoberfest need not go uncelebrated. They are big and small, stretching from the Northeast onward. They include tastings, trainings and at least one bratwurst eating contest, in Louisville, Kentucky. No doubt there's a festival near you, so mark your calendars and raise your glasses.

World Beer Festival (September 22, St. Petersburg, Florida, $40-$85; October 6, Durham, North Carolina, $40-$45)

Full version

Events Culture World News