Oktoberfest at the Garden
September 19 – 20
11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Festival Field
September 19 – 20
11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Festival Field
A Shimmering Summer finale
September 19 – 20 | Festival Field
The final weekend of Shimmering Summer calls for a celebration.
Join us for a family-friendly Oktoberfest featuring traditional German fare, Oktoberfest beers, live music, lawn games, and hands-on activities for kids. Spend the day exploring Evanescent—our large “bubble” art installation—great food and drinks, and soaking up the last weekend of summer before the season begins to change.
Whether you're here for a stein, a pretzel, a polka band, or simply an afternoon outdoors with family and friends, there's plenty to enjoy all weekend long.
Standard Garden admission and parking fees apply.
Each day, you can visit the pub trailer featuring Oktoberfest beers and a food tent selling traditional German fare. 11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 19
11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Lawn games, pumpkin tic-tac-toe, leaf rubbing, and wind wand making.
The Bratwurst Brothers
2 – 3:30 p.m.
Enjoy lively polkas and German-style party music from one of the Chicago area's favorite Oktoberfest bands.
Jim & Justin of Modern Day Romeos
4 – 5:30 p.m.
Sing along to crowd favorites and acoustic pop-rock hits from Chicago festival favorites Jim & Justin.
Sunday, September 20
11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Lawn games, pumpkin tic-tac-toe, leaf rubbing, and wind wand making.
Die Kellerknaben
1 – 2:30 p.m.
Traditional polka music that brings the spirit of Oktoberfest to Festival Field.
Josh Skaja
2:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Enjoy an afternoon of live acoustic music from acclaimed Chicago guitarist and vocalist Josh Skaja.
Oktoberfest Musician
Bratwurst Brothers
September 19, 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Bratwurst Brothers bring the fun of Oktoberfest to life with traditional German favorites, polkas, waltzes, and crowd-pleasing sing-alongs. Featuring seasoned Chicago-area musicians, the band delivers a lively, family-friendly Oktoberfest experience with plenty of audience participation and gemütlichkeit!
Jim and Justin of Modern Day Romeos
September 19, 4 – 5:30 p.m.
Jim and Justin are an acoustic duo from the popular Chicago-based band Modern Day Romeos. They perform high-energy, interactive, acoustic shows playing classic rock, pop, 80s and 90s favorites, and modern hits.
Die Kellerknaben
September 20, 1 – 2:30 p.m.
From the beer halls of Münich to the taverns of Chicago, Die Kellerknaben has its roots deep in the heart of polka. Die Kellerknaben plays music that makes you want to dance! Not just a fad, the polka is part of the American heritage. The band will delight you with Oktoberfest favorites and classics from the international landscape. You’ll feel right at home singing along with the hits. No other style of music gives people so much joy, cheerfulness, and hilarity. We need this to brighten our daily lives!
The group has performed all over the Midwest, including venues such as Miskatonic Brewing, Cedarburg Cultural Center, Goldfinger Brewing, Phyllis' Musical Inn, Obscurity Brewing, Westmont Brat House, Old Elburn Hall, the Town Of Cicero, and the Westmont Lions Club Oktoberfest. Die Kellerknaben is also a favorite at senior communities, park districts, and festivals, and has played numerous corporate and private events.
Josh Skaja
September 20, 2:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Josh Skaja has played music in fancy big-city orchestra halls…and seedy small-town dives. He’s filmed live concerts for TV (and annoyed people in sports bars who were just trying to watch TV). He’s performed for heads of state and been heckled by a guy with eight teeth. On a boat, with a goat, on a train, in the rain…you get the idea. It’s all in service of one thing: connecting with people just like you, bonding over a shared love of great songs by the Beatles, Paul Simon, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, James Taylor, the Police, Chris Stapleton, Van Morrison, and more.