The Colorado Springs Oktoberfest opened on Friday evening on the grounds of the Western Museum of Mining and Industry, off Interstate 25 at North Gate Boulevard, and runs through Sunday afternoon. Admission is free and parking costs $15. The weekend’s fixtures are a dachshund race on both days, a German baking contest on Sunday and ticketed tastings of beer, wine, mead and schnapps.
The Colorado Springs Oktoberfest is a program of Colorado International Events, a nonprofit, and is managed by O’Donnell & O’Donnell LLP, according to the festival’s website. Its organizers say it draws close to 8,000 people. It is held on the 27-acre campus of the Western Museum of Mining and Industry.
The big tent carries a run of walk-up contests between the live music and dancing: yodeling, stein hoisting, a German costume contest and the Das Boot Relay. The festival says none of those need registration, though some are limited to contestants 21 and older.
The Dachshund Dash
The Dachshund Dash, in its 14th year, starts at 2 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, and each day is a separate competition. Registration is $15 for a team of one dog and two people, one to release the racer at the start and one to catch it at the finish. Dogs race in five categories: Mini Frankfurters, for purebreds of 11 pounds or less; three age classes for larger purebreds, from Fast Frankfurters (1 to 3 years) to Galloping “Gray”Hounds (8 and older); and the Mischmasch Dash, for dachshund mixes. Each category is capped at 16 dogs a day. Heat winners advance to a final, and each category’s winner takes a trophy. Teams check in at the ticket booth by 1:30 p.m. Fees are not refundable.
Das Bake-Auf
Sunday brings Das Bake-Auf, a German baking contest for amateur home bakers of any age. Entries cost $10 each, up to three per baker and one per category: German Cookies & Dessert Bars, German Cakes & Strudels, and German-Inspired Fusion. Bakers check in at the Big Red Experience Barn between 11:30 a.m. and noon, and no entries are accepted after noon. Everything must be baked at home and safe at room temperature, since refrigeration is scarce; cookies and bars need at least 12 pieces, and every entry needs an ingredient list and its major allergens. Contestants under 18 check in with a parent or guardian. Winners are announced at 1:30 p.m. in the Main Event Tent, and the overall winner receives a KitchenAid stand mixer. The entries go to the judges, not to a public tasting table.
The tastings
The festival also sells one-hour guided tastings, which it calls Schule. Four remain after Friday, all on Saturday: beer from 1 to 2 p.m. ($35), led by a Master Cicerone, according to the listing; mead from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. ($40), new this year; wine from 5 to 6 p.m. ($35); and schnapps from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. ($40). Each includes at least four samples and a glass or stein to take home. They are for those 21 and older, with photo ID checked at the ticket booth 15 minutes before the start, and sales are final.
If you go
Sunday, Sept. 27: gates open 11 a.m. and close at 4 p.m.
Where: Western Museum of Mining and Industry, 225 North Gate Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO 80921
Cost: admission is free; parking is $15. The festival asks visitors to carpool because spaces are limited.
Drinks: by token. Tokens bought ahead online cost $8.50 each, and each is good for a beer or an eligible glass of wine or mead.
Leave at home: outside food and drink, and pets, apart from dachshunds registered for the Dash.
Questions: (719) 635-8803
Times are from the festival’s 2026 schedule.
Sources & further reading
The Independent’s own coverage: Tri-Lakes Halloween Headquarters: Trunk-or-Treats, Oktoberfests and Pumpkin Patches, Mapped, the guide that lists this festival among the season’s Oktoberfests · the community calendar, which carries all three days.
Colorado Springs Oktoberfest: Festival Experience, schedule and FAQ · Tastings & Experiences · Games & Competitions · Dachshund Dash rules · Das Bake-Auf rules · Drinkware & tokens.
Venue: Western Museum of Mining and Industry.
Spotted an error? Email [email protected].
