Iowa’s Oktoberfest story has a few familiar chapters — university town events, city brewery taprooms — and one genuinely extraordinary one: the Amana Colonies, a living piece of German religious history that has been celebrating its heritage since long before Oktoberfest became a nationwide trend.
The Amana Colonies: Iowa’s Most Authentic German Experience
In the 1850s, a German religious communal group called the Community of True Inspiration left New York state and settled in east-central Iowa, founding seven villages they called the Amana Colonies. They operated as a communal religious community — sharing property, labor, and meals — until 1932, when they reorganized as a profit-sharing corporation. The villages survived, the German heritage survived, and today the Amana Colonies are a National Historic Landmark and one of the most intact examples of a German communal settlement anywhere in the United States.
The Amana Colonies host their own Oktoberfest celebration each fall, and it’s unlike anything you’ll find in a city. Think traditional German food made from scratch, locally brewed beer, folk music, and a setting that looks like it was imported from Bavaria — because in many ways, culturally, it was. If you have any interest in German-American history, this is a stop worth building a trip around.
Des Moines
Iowa’s capital has a growing craft brewery scene and hosts Oktoberfest events at venues across the metro each fall. The East Village and Beaverdale neighborhoods are good places to start looking. Events range from brewery taproom celebrations to larger outdoor festivals in city parks.
Iowa City
Iowa City, home to the University of Iowa, has the lively bar scene you’d expect from a Big Ten college town. Oktoberfest here skews younger and louder than the Amana Colonies, with downtown bars and the Pedestrian Mall hosting themed events through September and October. The University’s German department and cultural organizations occasionally add programming with more historical depth.
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Planning the Munich trip? See our Oktoberfest Beer Guide — the 6 breweries, Märzen vs Festbier, and what to order — and our Table Reservations Guide for how to secure your tent seat. Not sure when to go? Check the 2026 Dates & Schedule.