Paid Post: Downtown Evanston will host the second annual Evanston Oktoberfest from 1 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 16. Come out with friends and family to enjoy an afternoon of craft beer, delicious local food, live music, kids activities and beautiful fall weather.
The first Evanston Oktoberfest was hosted to celebrate Evanston’s budding craft beer and distillery scene, and provide a fun, fall event for the community.
This year, the festival will feature our hometown breweries Smylie Brothers Brewing Co., Temperance Beer Co., Sketchbook Brewing Company, Peckish Pig, and distillery FEW Spirits, as well as new additions from outside of Evanston including Ten-Ninety Brewing, Half Acre Brewing Company, Hopewell Brewing Co., Alarmist Brewing and The Cider Farm.
Back with food this year to keep you well fueled during the event are Smylie Brothers, Peckish Pig, Homestead Meats and Tamale Express and, new with food this year, Farmhouse Evanston, La Cocinita and La Principal.
The music line-up will keep you entertained all afternoon, special thanks to SPACE Evanston. We’ll kick off the fest with Evanston native DJ Dustin Harris, followed by The Dave Specter Blues Band featuring Jimmy Johnson and The Western Elstons. Bring your kids to enjoy fall arts and crafts activities organized by Gather, a creative play space located downtown.
This year, admission tickets to Evanston Oktoberfest are $10 for general admission (entry at 2 p.m.) and $15 VIP to enjoy early access to the fest at 1 p.m. Beer tickets are sold separately and can be purchased online or at the festival. Each beer ticket is redeemable for one beer sample.
Evanston Oktoberfest will take place at the parking lot behind the Hilton Garden Inn at 1818 Maple Ave., the site of the Downtown Evanston Farmer’s Market. That’s three blocks from the CTA and Metra stations. If you have a designated driver, it’s also adjacent to the Maple Avenue Parking Garage which is free on Sundays. Bike parking is also available on the first floor of the parking garage.
The event would not be possible without the support of Evanston companies that are committed to the Evanston community. Evanston Oktoberfest is presented by Barrel sponsors The Main | 847 Chicago and E2 Apartments; Keg sponsors Church Street Plaza, Hilton Orrington and First Bank & Trust; Growler sponsor The Brown Team of Baird & Warner; and Pint sponsor Dempster Auto.
Evanston Oktoberfest is a fundraiser for Downtown Evanston, a nonprofit corporation that provides marketing and management services to Evanston’s downtown business district. .
Ticket sales support our continued efforts to makedowntown Evanston a vibrant place to live, work and play. For additional information, visit downtownevanston.org.