Chicago’s 100th Oktoberfest: Beer and Polka in Lincoln Square

Chicago’s Lincoln Square celebrated the 100th year of its German-American Fest aka Lincoln Square’s Oktoberfest. It was a treat this year for German folk and Polka music lovers, featuring an impressive lineup of bands like The Phenix Band, Pieptone!, Paloma, The Tuesdays, and more.

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You might have heard of Munich’s Oktoberfest, the world’s largest annual beer festival. The event has roots as a celebration of a royal wedding. Chicago has had its version, featuring German bands, food, singing, and dancing since the 1920s. Consisting of a large German-origin community, member clubs of the United German-American Societies of Greater Chicago converge to celebrate traditional German culture and food.

Attendees savour food ranging from popular German sausages like bratwurst, thuringers to bakery items like schnitzels, along with German beer from the popular legacy brewery HB München.

Free to attend, this year the festival was held from September 8 through 10, at Lincoln, Leland and Western Avenues, with three days of drinks, games, food, and dance. In terms of live entertainment, music ranged from timeless German classics to contemporary tunes, ensuring there’s something for everyone to enjoy. What better companions than beer and folk music!