Oktoberfest already has plenty going for it: beer, pretzels, loud music and at least one person getting suspiciously committed to the lederhosen.
But if you’re a dog person, there’s an obvious upgrade.
Bring the dogs.
A dog-friendly Oktoberfest doesn’t have to be a regular party with a few dogs wandering around. Make the dogs part of the entertainment and suddenly you’ve got your own tiny beer festival.
No flight to Munich required.
🍺 Give the Dogs Their Own “Beer” Menu
Obviously, we’re talking zero alcohol.
Set out fresh water, ice cubes or vet-approved dog-friendly broth and give each option an absurdly serious name.
- Golden Retriever: Bottomless Lager
- Chihuahua: Small Batch Pilsner
- Labrador: Whatever Disappears First
Put the menu on a chalkboard like you’re running an exclusive beer garden.
Your guests will appreciate the commitment.
The dogs will appreciate the ice cubes.
🏆 Host the Oktoberfest Dog Olympics
Forget boring lawn games. Your canine guests deserve events worthy of their talents.
Try:
- The Longest Sit
- Fastest Recall
- Best Stick
- Most Dramatic Zoomies
- Competitive Treat Catching
Then hand out completely unnecessary awards.
Most Likely to Start a Brewery.
Lifetime Achievement in Begging.
Best Use of a Human as Furniture.
Keep the prizes simple: treats, toys, ribbons or homemade certificates.
The dogs won’t understand what they won.
Their humans absolutely will.
📸 Build a Barktent Photo Booth
Every good Oktoberfest needs photographic evidence.
Create a little photo station with oversized pretzels, fake moustaches, Oktoberfest hats, tiny beer steins and signs like:
“I Came for the Snacks.”
“My Human Is Buying.”
“I’m Just Here for the Pretzels.”
Don’t bother trying to get every dog to pose perfectly.
That’s how you end up with 17 blurry photos and one accidental masterpiece.
The chaos is the content.
🥨 Settle the Great Mustard Debate
Some party games require preparation.
This one requires opinions.
Put out a few mustards and let everyone vote:
Sweet or spicy?
Whole grain or classic?
Soft pretzel or pretzel bites?
Then move on to the genuinely divisive questions:
Beer garden or backyard?
Lederhosen: iconic or absolutely not?
Keep score throughout the afternoon and see which opinion causes the most outrage.
The dogs don’t get a vote.
They would vote for everything that smells interesting.
🍻 Give Everyone a Beer Personality
Create cards with ridiculous beer-loving personalities and have guests choose their match.
The “Just One More” Person has been saying it since 3 p.m.
The Craft Beer Historian knows the brewery’s founding year but has no idea where their phone is.
The Social Butterfly has somehow met everyone before finishing their first drink.
The Designated Dog Entertainer has spent the entire afternoon throwing a tennis ball.
You already know who that last person is.
🍺 Have a Blind Beer Tasting With Terrible Categories
A blind tasting is fun.
A blind tasting with completely useless judging criteria is better.
Have guests identify the beers while rating them on:
- Best Beer for a Backyard
- Most Likely to Make You Order Another
- Pairs Well With Questionable Decisions
- Best Beer for Pretzel Consumption
Encourage terrible tasting notes.
“Notes of citrus, caramel and poor financial planning” is perfectly acceptable.
Keep it responsible. The point is to test everyone’s confidence, not their limits.
🎩 Let the Dogs Judge the Fashion
Oktoberfest and costumes go together, but comfort comes first for the dogs.
Stick to simple accessories like bandanas, bow ties or hats they actually tolerate.
Then create awards for:
- Best Dressed
- Strongest Commitment to the Theme
- Most Likely to Own a Brewery
- Best Side-Eye
- Most Likely to Leave Early
That last category is going to be competitive.
🐕 Crown the Oktoberfest Socialite
At the end of the afternoon, give one dog the completely meaningless but highly prestigious title of:
Oktoberfest Socialite of the Year.
Maybe they greeted every guest.
Maybe they survived the afternoon without stealing a pretzel.
Maybe they simply looked fantastic.
The prize can be a toy, treats or a certificate printed five minutes before everyone arrives.
Nobody needs to take it seriously.
Except the humans.
And possibly the dog if the prize is edible.
👕 Wear Something Worth Talking About
There’s an unofficial Wiggly dress code: comfortable, casual and capable of surviving dog hair.
A Wiggly Whims tee works particularly well for hosting, hitting a dog-friendly beer garden or spending the afternoon convincing your dog that the snack table is not a buffet.
And when another dog person asks, “Where did you get that?”
You’ve got your conversation starter.
Which is fitting, considering the dogs have probably already introduced everyone.
Prost to a Better Kind of Oktoberfest
The best Oktoberfest with dogs doesn’t need to look like Munich.
It needs good beer, good people, dogs with strong opinions and enough ridiculous activities to keep everyone entertained.
By the end of the afternoon, someone will have won an award they absolutely didn’t deserve.
Someone’s dog will be asleep under the table.
And at least one person will be wearing enough mustard to qualify as a condiment.
That’s a successful party.
At Wiggly Whims, we’re all for celebrations that are a little silly, very comfortable and significantly better with dogs.
Grab the beer. Bring the pups. Let Oktoberfest get gloriously Wiggly.
