Oktoberfest in Old Munichburg
One Saturday every September, the old German neighborhood on the Southside closes its streets for bratwurst, beer, bands and a dachshund derby.
- When
- A Saturday in late September; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in 2024 and 2026.
- Where
- Old Munichburg, around Dunklin, Broadway and Washington streets.
- Cost
- No admission price is posted. Food and drink vendors sell on site.
- Who runs it
- The Old Munichburg Association, as its yearly fundraiser.
We haven't seen a confirmed date for 2027 yet.
The last one was Saturday, September 26, 2026. Usually: A Saturday in late September.
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What it is
Jefferson City's Oktoberfest is a one-day street festival in Old Munichburg, the Southside neighborhood German immigrants built, put on every year by the Old Munichburg Association. There is bratwurst, beer and wine, vendors along Dunklin Street, live music, a car show and a dachshund derby, from morning into early evening on a Saturday in late September.
The neighborhood came by its name honestly, if by accident. Many of its German settlers came from Münchberg, in Bavaria, and their neighbors heard Munich, which is how it came to be Munichburg. The big wave of German immigrants reached Jefferson City in the 1830s and 1840s.
The association was founded in 2000 to honor those immigrants and to revitalize and preserve the neighborhood, about 14 blocks between U.S. 54 and Stadium Boulevard. Oktoberfest is how it pays for that work: festival money has gone to the mural on East Dunklin Street and to the cost of listing buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. The 2025 festival was the 25th.
What to expect
The day opens with a keg tapping on the main stage (10:30 a.m. in 2024), and bands play through the afternoon. The 2024 stage schedule also had the Mulekicker Cloggers.
The Mid-Mo Old Car Club brings its car show: 121 cars in 2023, and a few more than that in 2024.
The dachshund derby is the one people talk about; 30 dogs raced in 2024. There is a costume contest, too.
For kids, 2025 had a kid's corner with a bounce house, and 2024 had pony rides.
In 2024 the association let people buy a beer and keep walking, rather than keeping it inside the beer garden.
Good to know
- The bratwurst comes off the grill in waves of 80.
- Ecco Lounge called it the restaurant's biggest day of the year in 2024, so expect a crowd on Dunklin.
- Festival details post on the association's Facebook page over the summer, and sponsor and vendor information on its website.
Past years
- 2026Saturday, September 26, 2026At the corner of Dunklin and Washington streets, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- 2025Saturday, September 27, 2025The 25th Oktoberfest, on Broadway and Washington streets.
- 2024Saturday, September 28, 2024The 24th: West Dunklin, Broadway and Washington streets, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Official information
Schedules, maps and changes come from the people who run it.
Old Munichburg Association ↗Questions people ask
When is Oktoberfest in Jefferson City?
On a Saturday in late September. The 2026 festival was Saturday, September 26, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It was September 27 in 2025 and September 28 in 2024.
Where is Oktoberfest held?
In Old Munichburg on the Southside. The 2026 festival was at the corner of Dunklin and Washington streets; in 2024 it covered West Dunklin, Broadway and Washington.
Who puts on Jefferson City's Oktoberfest?
The Old Munichburg Association, a neighborhood group founded in 2000. The festival is its fundraiser, and the money goes to projects like the East Dunklin Street mural and National Register listings.
Is Oktoberfest family-friendly?
Yes. The 2025 festival had a kid's corner with a bounce house, 2024 had pony rides, and the dachshund derby and costume contest are for everybody.
Why is it called Munichburg?
Many of the neighborhood's German settlers came from Münchberg, Bavaria. Other residents took the name to be Munich, and Munichburg stuck.
More every year in Jefferson City
- Porchfest JCMOMay & October · First Sundays in May and October, 1 to 4 p.m.
- Race to the DomeOctober · A Saturday in early October
- Jefferson City Jaycees Christmas ParadeDecember · First Saturday in December, 4:30 p.m.
- Living WindowsDecember · First Friday in December, evening
Where this comes from: 4 sources, checked October 18, 2026
- Old Munichburg Association: Oktoberfest 2026 Old Munichburg Association
- Oktoberfest to return to Old Munichburg Jefferson City News Tribune
- All of us are German for the day Jefferson City News Tribune
- Old Munichburg Association celebrates 25 years Jefferson City News Tribune