Oktoberfest Nation Brings Authentic Bavarian Traditions To Illinois

One of the longest-running traditions during the fall season is celebrating Oktoberfest, and if you're looking for one to check out, then you might as well go all in with the largest party in Illinois.

Chicago Is Home To The Largest Oktoberfest Celebration In Illinois

I remember growing up; my parents were really active socially, and they would bring me pretty much anywhere unless it was strictly 21 and over. I got to experience a lot of things that kids normally didn't. Nowadays, they couldn't do that. One annual event that I can recall attending with them in the fall was German Fest, also known as Oktoberfest. I can picture the costumes, food, music, and, of course, the huge beer mugs.

According to Oktober Nation...

Celebrate with official Hofbräu München beer imported from Germany, giant Bavarian pretzels, authentic bratwurst, live German music, carnival games, the Devil's Wheel, and unforgettable nights under the lights.

Now, Oktoberfest is actually more fun for adults, so it's a different experience than when I was a child. The largest edition of the annual celebration is called Oktoberfest Nation, which is held in Chicago. It's being held in the Fulton Market from now until October 24th. You know a party is good when it's going on for six straight weeks. If you're looking to get your Oktoberfest on, this is the place to go.

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Of course, like any great Oktoberfest event, there are lots of fun things going on during this celebration. Here are some of the activities...

Carnival games

Official Hofbräu München Beer

Live German band

Giant Bavarian Pretzels and authentic German food and beverages

Devil's Wheel

Lederhosen & Dirndl Shop

And more

LOOK: Best Beers From Every State

To find the best beer in each state and Washington D.C., Stacker analyzed January 2020 data from BeerAdvocate, a website that gathers user scores for beer in real-time. BeerAdvocate makes its determinations by compiling consumer ratings for all 50 states and Washington D.C. and applying a weighted rank to each. The weighted rank pulls the beer toward the list's average based on the number of ratings it has and aims to allow lesser-known beers to increase in rank. Only beers with at least 10 rankings to be considered; we took it a step further to only include beers with at least 100 user rankings in our gallery. Keep reading to find out what the best beer is in each of the 50 states and Washington D.C.

Gallery Credit: Angela Underwood