Oktoberfest Party Decor: Ideas for a Festive Atmosphere

Create small Oktoberfest decorations as party favors.

An Oktoberfest celebration, whether it's a big gathering or an intimate affair, inside or outside, can be enhanced with decorations that blend seasonal autumn elements and Germanic motifs. The traditional Bavarian blue and white checkerboard pattern is a natural choice, as it reflects the colors of the Bavarian flag. Bavaria is where the first Oktoberfest took place in 1810, celebrating the marriage of two Bavarian royals. Since that time, Germans have marked the occasion from late September through early October annually, giving you a chance to incorporate Bavaria's autumn foliage along with its customary festivities.

Welcoming Touches

Greet your guests with a warm "Wilkommen" by placing a large welcome sign on your front door, with images of German steins and the German national flag on either side. For a more ambitious project, construct a large cardboard arch and paint it with the traditional blue-and-white checkered design to serve as a backdrop for your Oktoberfest entrance. On both sides of the door, set pots of fall flowers like orange and red chrysanthemums or scatter fall leaves.

Decorations Indoors and Out

Carry the blue and white theme through with balloons, streamers, pennants, and an Oktoberfest banner suspended on the walls of your party space or tied between poles on an outdoor tent. Use blue ribbons to hang small and large pretzels from ceiling lights or between tent poles. Create large cardboard cutouts of Bavarian-costumed servers holding trays of beer mugs or an accordion player in traditional lederhosen. If you can locate them, travel posters showing German Oktoberfest scenes can replace the cutouts.

Table Decor

Select a blue and white tablecloth for the party table, or use blue and white placemats, paper plates, and napkins. Add a dark blue skirt across the front of the table for an extra splash of color, and hang streamers from a central light fixture to evoke a tent-like feel indoors. For a centerpiece, arrange German hats with German flags interspersed, or set out a large bouquet of autumn leaves with pictures of beer mugs and flags attached to wooden dowels as accents. Finally, wind a garland of fall leaves around all the table decorations.

Food as Decorations

Baskets of pretzels double as Oktoberfest decor on the party table and placed around the room. German beers and beer mugs displayed on a separate table also serve as party decor when you add the same decorations as on the food table and create labels for the different beers in festive colors. Platters of traditional Oktoberfest fare, such as German sausages, a variety of mustards, large bowls of sauerkraut, and a plate of cooked red peppers, all add to the overall festive ambiance.