Willkommen to the 2025 Great Northwest Oktoberfest
Hagadone Media Montana | Daily Inter-Lake | UPDATED 2 months AGO
View the full 2025 Great Northwest Oktoberfest publication here.
From Kevin Gartland, Whitefish Chamber of Commerce executive director
On behalf of the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, our hundreds of dedicated volunteers and our amazing team of corporate sponsors … welcome to Oktoberfest!
From humble beginnings in 2010, the Great Northwest Oktoberfest has grown to become one of the largest and most authentic Oktoberfest celebrations in the Pacific Northwest, attracting more than 8,000 people to Depot Park each fall from around Montana, southwestern Canada … and the entire USA!
This year we’re excited to be back downtown in Depot Park … but that’s not all we’re excited about! This year we’re teaming up with the U.S. Steinholding Association to stage the first-ever Montana Steinholding Championships, and will be sending the winners of our Mens and Ladies Championships to the U.S. Steinholding Championships in Cincinnati in mid-November!
Also back this year is Europa – one of the most sought-after Oktoberfest bands in the USA – headlining the second weekend of Oktoberfest. Our Week 1 bands include the MAC-toberfest Band, Accordion Bob & the Boys and the Hungry Five, as well as the mysterious “DJs of Deutschland,” who’ll close-out Friday and Saturday nights with a high-energy dance set that’s sure to keep the dancefloor packed! And as always, the Bavarian Echoes – the Flathead Valley’s own Bavarian orchestra – will entertain the masses each Saturday afternoon.
The 11th annual Oktoberfest Hop Queen competition begins on Oct. 1 at Logan’s Bar (in Grouse Mountain Lodge), and concludes with the “finals” on Thursday Oct. 2 on the Main Stage, under the Oktoberfest bigtop.
And then there’s the beer. Bayern Brewing is Montana’s original craft brewer, run by a couple of Munich-trained brewmeisters who really know their stuff! On top of that we’ve got four different brews on-tap from Hofbrau, one of the original Oktoberfest breweries from Munich!
Stein-holding contests are held each night; keg-hurling takes place on Saturdays at 6 p.m., and the ever-popular Log Sawing Competition returns by popular demand each evening when time allows.
The Great Northwest Oktoberfest literally has something for everyone … and we’re glad you’re here!
Ein Prosit!
READ MORE:
Prost to Oktoberfest volunteers
Bavarian Echoes’ Oktoberfest music brings lasting joy