On the first weekend of October, the patch of green at the corner of Dixie Highway and Northeast 38th Street stops looking like a South Florida city park and starts looking like a corner of Bavaria. A grand plaza fountain becomes a backdrop for pretzel-necklace crafts and flower-crown making. The air smells like bratwurst and malt. And at 5 p.m. on Saturday, a pack of dachshunds lines up to sprint 30 yards toward their owners, who are waiting at the finish line waving chew toys and treats.
That race -- the Dachshund Dash -- has become the signature spectacle of the Oakland Park Oktoberfest, a three-day festival that returns to Jaco Pastorius Park from Oct. 2 to 4, 2026. It is a rare thing in South Florida: a genuinely affordable, genuinely local tradition that has survived long enough to become part of the city's identity. Admission is $5, children 12 and under get in free, and there is no capacity cap -- you simply show up.
The event's origins are older than many residents realize. By 2017, when the city staged what it billed as the 13th Annual Oktoberfest, the festival was already established enough to draw thousands and to be described as one of the largest in Florida. That milestone points to a founding around the middle of the last decade, though at least one outside listing has claimed the tradition stretches back to the 1970s -- a claim the city's own "13th annual" billing does not support. What is clear is that the modern festival took shape as a partnership between the city and the businesses that call Oakland Park home.
No partner has been more central than Funky Buddha Brewery, the craft brewery that sits adjacent to the park and has served as presenting sponsor for years. The brewery's involvement is not a logo on a banner. Funky Buddha's Craft Food Counter & Kitchen runs the food operation, serving German-inspired dishes and specialty beer releases, and the brewery hosts an after-party each night of the festival. When the company announced its sponsorship, it framed the event in its own idiom: bringing "our signature funky style so we can take this year's Oktoberfest to a higher plane of existence."
"Oakland Park is our home and our pride," Funky Buddha brand director John Linn said when the partnership was announced, "so to be able to play a big part in such an important community festival is truly rewarding for us."
The other indispensable partner is Central Bark, the local dog daycare and boarding center owned by Chris Gaba, which puts on the Dachshund Dash. The race is not a novelty sideshow bolted onto the festival; it is a full production. In 2024, the 18th running of the Dash drew a crowd of around 200 people to watch six heats of eight dogs each. A judge raised a flag at each finish line to call the winner. The city's vice mayor, Tim Lonergan, was among the judges.
"We're celebrating Oktoberfest. This is a German breed of dog. It brings families together," Gaba said. "It's a lot of fun for my team, and it's a lot of fun for the community."
The racing is reliably unpredictable. Lonergan recalled a competitor who "came dashing down and stopped right before the finish line." In 2024, a dapple dachshund named Finn upset the previous year's champion, Oscar, in the final. Both dogs went home winners -- first and second place earned their owners large gift baskets filled with prizes from Oakland Park small businesses. The winner's owner, Madyson Puchajda, described the feeling the way any proud parent might: "I knew he would do great, but I'm like, 'wow, I'm in awe.'"
The Dash area stays busy all weekend, with beer stein races and other competitions for humans who want in on the action. And the festival's German bona fides run deeper than the dogs. Live music comes from Alpine Express, a traditional German band, along with accordionist Eric Zawalich. Past lineups have included Sepp Diepolder, billed as a master yodeler, and the Auherhan Schuplattlers, who perform authentic Bavarian dance. There is a fire show by Danger Fun Entertainment, and a Dirndl and Lederhosen Costume Contest for those who arrive in traditional dress.
For families, the weekend is built around hands-on activities: glitter tattoos, balloon twisting, flower crown making, mini pretzel necklace crafts, henna art, and bead making. The city has long framed the festival as an all-ages affair. "Oktoberfest is truly meant to be a celebration of all ages and we encourage a lot of singing and dancing," parks and leisure services director Heidi Burnett said. "This is the time of year when many of us can dress up in our dirndls and lederhosen and get ready to party."
The setting itself carries a story. Jaco Pastorius Park is named for John Francis Anthony Pastorius III -- Jaco -- the jazz bassist born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in 1951, who grew up in Oakland Park and went on to become one of the most influential bass players in the history of the instrument. He played with Weather Report from 1976 to 1981 and collaborated with Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, and Joni Mitchell, reinventing the fretless bass along the way. He died in Fort Lauderdale in 1987 at age 35. The city later named the park for him, and a mural commissioned by Oakland Park Main Street pays tribute to the musician who grew up on these streets. Every October, his old neighborhood fills with polka and yodeling.
The park has grown alongside the festival. When the 2017 edition opened, Mayor John Adornato III noted that the grounds had just been expanded to include a grand plaza fountain. "Oktoberfest has become one of Oakland Park's signature events and is a major draw for our city," he said, crediting the business community -- Funky Buddha and Central Bark among them -- for making it "a true hometown festival."
That hometown character is part of what makes the event unusual in a region better known for beach bars and nightclubs. It is a festival run by a city, sponsored by its own breweries and dog daycares, judged by its own vice mayor, and attended by people who bring their dogs and their kids and their lederhosen. Downtown parking is limited, so the city encourages ridesharing and runs a free shuttle along Main Street, with stops at the pergolas and fountains at Northeast 32nd through 35th Streets. Free parking is available along Main Street and in lots behind local businesses.
For 2026, the schedule runs Friday, Oct. 2, from 6 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 3, from 1 to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, Oct. 4, from 1 to 6 p.m. The Dachshund Dash returns Saturday at 5 p.m. A full schedule of activities and entertainment is still being finalized, but the shape of the weekend is familiar by now: music, food, contests, crafts, and one very short, very serious race.
Prost.