Well, it’s that time of year again – Oktoberfest in Colorado! Pretzels and brats will abound, steins will hoist and clink, the air will be a little bit chillier, and the beer hopefully the chilliest. It’s Oktoberfest season friends, and the countdown is on. Oktoberfest in Colorado is not just one main event, rather dozens of them around the state beckon locals and out-of-state guests alike, all pouring into (no pun intended) Colorado to participate in the festivities.

Quick history lesson for you, Oktoberfest tradition stems from centuries ago, as a former royal wedding celebration that lasted nearly two weeks. The party was a jolly old time with beer and horse races. Oktoberfest celebrated it’s 200th Anniversary back in 2010 and the event itself has changed a bit since the first wedding celebration. Today, Oktoberfest-goers in Germany can expect beer (of course), men and women clad in Dirndls and Lederhosen, restaurants, beer barrel tapping, live entertainment and parades throughout the weeks-long festival.

One of these days, we’ll make it over the pond to the Oktoberfest mecca but for now you can find us in Vail and Steamboat this year, clashing steins filled with suds to the brim and possibly you might catch us dancing a traditional jig, pretzel and mustard in-hand, of course.

So what do people wear to these shindigs anywhoo? Traditionally, men wear lederhosen which are breeches made of leather and embroidered with intricate designs. Women are expected to wear a Dirndl which is the traditional dress typically worn in Austria and Bavaria. Dirndls started out as peasant clothing of the Alps and today are worn at Oktoberfests across Europe and in the United States. It’s common to find a much shorter and cheaper version of Dirndls in the U.S. Word to the wise — it’s very frowned upon to wear a “costume” version of a Dirndl or Lederhosen to the authentic and original Oktoberfest in Munich. Should you find yourself in attendance one day in Germany, be sure to order or purchase the real deal.

Now, if you find plan on attending a “mini” Oktoberfest somewhere in the United States, it is completely acceptable to buy a costume version of a Dirndl or Lederhosen outfit from Amazon, just like I did. Not only is this option extremely cost-effective and efficient with Amazon Prime, these outfits can double as Halloween garb should that tickle your fancy!

There are many options out there and it can be difficult to navigate through them all without any reference to how they might fit or what style fits your body best, but don’t worry, I’ve done the research for you! After filtering through product reviews, verified purchase comments and consulting the size chart, I finally settled on what I thought would be the winners for this season’s Oktoberfest celebrations.

Your Perfect Outfit for Oktoberfest Season

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These options will make an Oktoberfest appearance later this month:

Dirndls

I absolutely LOVE this outfit. Adorable, feminine and fits amazing. The outfit comes with the dress, pink tutu for volume underneath the skirt part, knee-high stockings and 2 pink bows to top it off and tie in your hair! This Dirndl zips up the back and also has two brown ribbons (shown in picture) that tie like a halter around the neck. The material is polyester and has some give in it to allow for all the beer and pretzels to be consumed. If you’ve ever purchased a Halloween costume from a store, odds are you’ve heard of Leg Avenue. This two-piece Dirndle is from Leg Avenue and comes full with great return policies and customer service should you need to swap it out!

I ordered a medium and am 5 foot 7 and 130 pounds. I have the perfect amount of wiggle room without this outfit being too loose and falling down. This is definitely costume material but does the trick! PROST to this little number.

Check it out:

A bit more on the traditional-looking side color-wise, Sean much preferred this second option over my first choice above when we were online shopping. Clad in red, green, brown, and white this dirndl looked like the clear winner from a “NAILED IT” standpoint. With 358 Amazon reviews, I definitely had a lot of input to read through and found myself teetering back and forth if this was the one and what size to get.

Finally, I just clicked “add to cart,” and called it good. I got a medium in this puppy too and definitely made the right decision! This dirndl is very low in the chest and doesn’t have as much coverage but is super cute and has more room for day-of festivities to eat, drink and be merry.

Surprisingly at $32 this more authentic looking option was the cheaper deal! I ended up buying and keeping both, because they are both great costumes and will be put to good use!

If either of these isn’t your style, here are some other options to choose from:

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Lederhosen

While I wasn’t able to snap a shot of Sean in his Lederhosen before Oktoberfest gets here, keep an eye out on social media for the day-of reveal. Ordering online can be TOUGH, each brand has a different size chart and standards. Sometimes you can be large in some brands and an extra small in others – WHY?! While this is often the bain of existence, we’re fortunate to live in a world where returns and exchanges are now the norm.

Sean teeters between a medium and large in most cases, and for Lederhosen, he decided to size up to a large. At $90, Sean’s lederhosen outfit was a bit more expensive than my dirndls, but when they arrived we were SO PLEASED. The lederhosen are completely authentic, leather, embroidery and all! The package only came with the “shorteralls” so we’ll need to go shopping for a plaid shirt but no joke, these things will last a lifetime!

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Interested in other options? Check these out:

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Now that we’ve run through your perfect dirndl or lederhosen options for Oktoberfest, get out there and get to SHOPPING! I ordered these all off Amazon Prime and they were delivered in a matter of just three days. No worries, if you’ve been slacking, you still have time! And if you haven’t decided on which festival (s) to attend, here’s a list of local options to help you out!

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Oktoberfest in Colorado

2019 Dates

Berthoud – Saturday, October 5, 2019

Breckenridge – September 6-8, 2019

Brush – September 27-29, 2019

Boulder – September 20-22, 2019

Castle Rock – September 28, 2019

Colorado Springs – September 27-29, 2019

Denver (LoDo) – September 20-22 and 27-29, 2019

Durango – September 28, 2019

Ft. Collins – September 21, 2019

Greeley – September  27-28, 2019

Highlands Ranch – September 21, 2019

La Veta – October 5, 2019

Longmont – September 20-21, 2019

Loveland – September 13-14, 2019

Montrose – October 5, 2019

Ouray – October 5, 2019

Parker – September. 13-15, 2019

Pueblo – September 14-15, 2019

Royal Gorge Route – September 7 – October 20, 2019

Steamboat Springs – September 13-14, 2019

Vail – September 6-8 & 13-15, 2019

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