Hunter Mountain Oktoberfest

Hunter Mountain’s Oktoberfest has been recognized by USA Today as one of the ten best Oktoberfests in the nation, and the Northern Catskills setting gives it a visual claim that its Bavarian counterparts in urban venues cannot make: foliage color that builds across three weekends from the first hints of turning to full saturated peak, framed by the 4,040-foot summit visible behind the festival grounds. The 2026 event runs three weekends — September 26 and 27, October 3 through 5, and October 10 through 12 — free of charge to attendees, with the Scenic SkyRide (the Kaatskill Flyer gondola to the summit) available for purchase separately at $20 for adults and $16 for children and seniors when bought online. The festival grounds at the base lodge fill with confirmed bands including Alana Wyld and Wyld Blu, Guilty Pleasure, Joe Adee and the Lugnuts, Lex Grey and Urban Pioneers, Probable Cause, Roadhouse 60s, Session Brothers, and Sonny Rock and the Torpedoes performing across both an indoor and outdoor stage daily.

What Happens Each Weekend

Beyond the live music, the festival runs artisan vendor booths inside and around the base lodge with confirmed participants including Cats View Farm, European Crafts, Orion Jewelry Design, Rip’s Wild Mountain Honey, Sawmill Crystals, and Troll Valley European Imports. A children’s arts and crafts tent runs alongside the main programming; a climbing wall offers a physical option for older children and adults between sets. The Steinholding competition — a traditional Bavarian strength event where participants hold a full one-liter stein at arm’s length for as long as possible — serves as the Oktoberfest qualifying round for the New York State Steinholding Championships, giving the competition genuine stakes beyond novelty. The legendary Hunter Mountain Doxie Derby, a dachshund race that has become one of the festival’s signature events, runs on the main grounds. The VIP Package at $59 includes an Oktoberfest t-shirt, a beer mug, a first fill of beer or soda, and one VIP SkyRide ticket with priority boarding.

The Catskills Around Hunter Mountain

The village of Hunter sits in Greene County, New York, about two hours north of Manhattan, in a valley formed by Schoharie Creek. The mountain itself operates as a ski resort through winter but functions in fall entirely as a foliage and festival destination. Kaaterskill Falls, four miles east of Hunter on Route 23A, is the most photographed natural feature in the Catskills and at 260 feet the tallest waterfall in New York State — the two-tier cascade is accessible by a moderate 1.5-mile round-trip trail from the Route 23A parking area and is appropriate for families with children who can handle uneven terrain. The trailhead is well-signed and the falls are at full flow in early October, making the middle Oktoberfest weekend the optimal combination of foliage, festival, and waterfall timing.

Where to Eat in and Around Hunter

Brio’s of Hunter (7872 Main St., Hunter, open since 2005) is the most reliably reviewed full-service restaurant in the immediate area, with an Italian-American menu that covers wood-fired pizza, house-made pasta, and a kitchen known for its braised short rib and the whole-roasted branzino that appears consistently in visitor accounts as the most ambitious dish on the menu. For a post-Oktoberfest dinner on a weekend evening, reservations are strongly advised. Last Chance Antiques and Cheese Cafe (6009 Main St., Tannersville, 5 miles from Hunter, open since 1990) is a local institution combining a working antiques shop with a cafe that serves cheese plates, soups, and sandwiches built around specialty and artisan cheeses — the grilled cheese with local cheddar and tomato jam and the rotating cheese board with Catskills honey have developed independent reputations from the antiques business. The Prospect Restaurant at Scribner’s Catskill Lodge (13 Scribner Hollow Rd., Hunter, open since 2017 in its current form) covers the elevated dining category with a seasonal menu rooted in Hudson Valley ingredients: the farm egg with roasted beets and goat cheese and the Hudson Valley duck with local grain risotto reflect the kitchen’s sourcing priorities clearly.

The Lake Connection

The Northern Catskills are more accurately a river and reservoir landscape than a lake destination — the Schoharie Reservoir, part of the New York City watershed, lies 15 miles northeast of Hunter. Kaaterskill Creek provides waterfall access through the region’s trail network. For a proper lakeside stay within the broader Catskills area, the Ashokan Reservoir corridor and the lakes of the western Catskills offer vacation rental inventory within a 45-minute drive. Search Lake.com for properties in the Catskills region to find options suited for Oktoberfest weekends.