

Zootoberfest
Start autumn with a FREE, family-friendly PROST at the Saint Louis Zoo! Sip beer, savor German-themed cuisine and hear live music. For the kinder, there is root beer and kids’ activities. And when you’ve had plenty of “oompah” fun, check out the Zoo’s open exhibits and attractions.
Oct. 4-5 and 10-12, 2025
Zootoberfest Dates and Hours
Enjoy Zootoberfest during the dates and hours below (and we’ve added an extra date for more Oktoberfest-themed fun!). The whole Zoo campus is also open with its regular hours and experiences.
Saturday, Oct. 4 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. |
Sunday, Oct. 5 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. |
NEW! Friday, Oct. 10* | 5-8 p.m. |
Saturday, Oct. 11 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. |
Sunday, Oct. 12 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. |
*Some exhibits close early on Oct. 10: 6 p.m.: Bird Garden, Jungle of the Apes/Fragile Forest, Primate Canopy Trails/Primate House; 6:30 p.m.: Bird House; 7:30 p.m.: Penguin & Puffin Coast, Herpetarium, Stingrays at Caribbean Cove, Insectarium

Live Music
October 4: Bolzen Beer Band
October 5: Heidelberg German Band
October 10: Die Spitzebaum
October 11: The Wurst Bavarian Band
October 12: So Grand Polka Band

Beers from Around the World
Check out beer trailers featuring over 50 different beers. Beer passports will be available at the event so you can scope out your favorite brews in advance.
Beer Trailer Locations
Beverages available while supplies last (21 and up only). Alcohol sales start at 11 a.m. on Sundays.
Beer in a custom Zootoberfest stein: $12
Refills: $7.50 (for any beer or margarita)
Ayinger Oktober Fest – Märzen – Germany
A beer with total German character. Open for big gulps of flavor and texture. Rich and expressive for the fall festival, made for celebration, song, and food.
Weihenstephaner Festbier – Seasonal Lager – Germany
A full rich-bodied, hoppy, seasonal lager. Especially brewed for the Festbier season. This beer truly represents the Bavarian way of celebrating…straight from the worlds’ oldest brewery.
Stiegl Grapefruit Radler – Grapefruit Beer – Germany
Real grapefruit juice gives this deliciously refreshing Radler (mixed beer drink) its amber natural cloudiness and pleasant tangy taste. The refreshingly fruity taste makes Stiegl-Radler Grapefruit a wonderful thirst quencher.
Yuengling Oktoberfest – Marzen – Pottsville, PA
This medium-bodied beer is the perfect blend of roasted malts with just the right amount of hops that serves up a slightly sweet, toasted character.
Yuengling Flight – Light Lager – Pottsville, PA
Easy drinking, clean and crisp, with a nice mix of caramel malt and mild hops.
Old Bakery Oktoberfest – Marzen – Alton, IL
A Marzen- style brewed with Munich malt to provide a crisp, toasty, and malty flavor, with a smooth finish. Aromatic, with very subtle hop taste.
Athletic Run Wild – Non- Alcoholic IPA – San Diego, CA
This non-alcoholic brew is a session-able IPA known for its balance of citrus and pine hop notes, with a very subtle malt undertone. Low Calorie, low carb, with a classic hop finish.
Civil Life Brewing Company – Oktoberfest - St. Louis
A fine example of a great traditional style Bavarian brew. Pilsner and Vienna malts, with some caramel aroma and roasty depth. The final product is a beautiful copper color with deep toasted malt character and a clean dry finish.
Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier – Marzen – Germany
One of the two original brewers of the Munich festival! From the bottle, it pours a solid golden color with a modest head, slowly reducing to a thin layer. Bready malt in the nose. The mouth gets the same, with a light bitterness at the end.
Hofbräu Dunkel – Dark Lager – Germany
Dark brown in color, large to moderate off-white head. Distinct malty aroma, notes of brown bread and caramel. The flavor is distinctly malty, but slightly less sweet than expected. Very moderate hop profile.
New Belgium Atomic Pumpkin – Flavored Ale – Ft. Collins, CO
Pours a clear, deep gold with a nice fluffy white foam that lasts. The aroma is of sweetish malts and pumpkin pie spices. Then the slight bite of the habanero hits. It makes for a nice warming sensation. It is light bodied and very easy to drink.
Paulaner Hefe Weizen – Wheat Ale – Germany
A classic German wheat ale, aromas of wheat, light pear, banana and a touch of lemon. Flavor is dry wheat malt, lemon, banana and clove, fading a bit into a grainy wheat finish with a little residual citrus. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess and sharp carbonation.
Paulaner Oktoberfest – Marzen – Germany
A Munich original, this amber treat was developed to celebrate the original Oktoberfest over 200 years ago. A full-bodied beer with its rich malt flavor, dark toffee notes and underlying fruitiness has a masterful hop balance.
Warsteiner Oktoberfest – Marzen – Germany
A refreshing limited edition festbier featuring toasted bread, caramel, and honey notes, with a touch of dried apricot and a slightly spicy hop character. Crisp and clean, with a mild bitterness.
Bell’s Octoberfest – Marzen – Kalamazoo, MI
Crafted as a flavorful session beer and perfect for autumn, Octoberfest spends a full six weeks fermenting. With herbal hop aromas, this balanced amber lager focuses on lightly toasted malt that lends body without too much sweetness.
Boulevard Bob’s 47 – Marzen – Kansas City, MO
A traditional fall seasonal beer, Bob’s ’47 Oktoberfest is a medium-bodied, dark amber brew with a malty flavor and well-balanced hop character.
Schlafly Pumpkin Ale – Flavored Ale - St. Louis, MO
Blending the spices of the harvest with full-bodied sweetness for a beer that tastes like pumpkin pie. Pounds of pumpkin form a malty foundation that supports the fall flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove.
Schlafly Oktoberfest – Marzen – St. Louis, MO
A traditional Bavarian Märzen with a toasty malt aroma and slight caramel taste. This rich, amber lager is balanced using German noble hops, while the lager yeast ferments cold and slow, creating a smooth, crisp beer.
Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Cider – Cincinnati, OH
Crisp and refreshing hard cider mixing the sweetness of apples with the subtle dryness for a balanced cider taste.
Samuel Adams – Octoberfest – Marzen - Boston, MA
A traditional fall classic, malty, slight sweet, caramel taste, no hop bitterness, and very smooth finish.
Fitz’s Root Beer – St. Louis, MO
Mother’s – Oktoberfest – Springfield, MO
Very light amber color. Faint nose of caramel and toffee. Taste is light and subdued with caramel malts. Brown toast.
Yuengling Lager – Lager – Pottsville, PA
A medium bodied, American amber lager known for its rich color, subtle roasted malt sweetness, and balanced taste. Bolstered by Cascade hops, it is heartier than most American lagers.
Spaten Oktoberfestbier – Märzen – Germany
Thanks to an abundance of toasted malt and a lower hop bitterness, this dark reddish-brown lager is loaded with sweet, caramel toffee flavors and aromas.
Hoegaarden – Belgian Wheat Ale – Belgium
Hazy gold appearance with a large, thick white head and good lacing. Yeasty, spicy aroma with tart citrus. Dry spicy flavor with the orange peel more evident in the aftertaste. Medium-to-light bodied, well carbonated.
Blake’s Salted Caramel Apple Cider – Cider – Armada, MI
Hard cider blending the tart of apple and sweet caramel with a hint of salt for a smooth, satisfying finish.
Spaten Premium Lager – Lager – Germany
Clear with light yellow color and a hoppy aroma that is typical of European lagers. The taste is slightly bitter and carries over in its aftertaste.
2nd Shift Brewing Oktoberfest – Marzen – St. Louis, MO
This Märzenbier is a medium-bodied lager, with a light toast malt bill that has floral and toffee notes, as well as a slightly spicy but clean finish.
Perennial Oktoberfest – Oktoberfest – St. Louis, MO
A rich, Marzen-style lager brewed with German Vienna and Munich malt. A light, crisp lager with a bready backbone and a light cracker finish.
Michelob Ultra – Light Lager – St. Louis
Ultra is brewed using a blend of premium aroma hop varieties, both American-grown and imported, and a combination of barley malts and rice.
U.C.B.C. Oachkatzlschwoaf – Seasonal Lager – St. Louis, MO
Brewed for the annual Oktoberfest celebration, malty yet well balanced like the bier traditionally served at Oktoberfest in Munich. A true “Festbier”. (Pronounced “o-cat-zel-schwof,” translated is “tail of a squirrel”.)
U.C.B.C Dorfbier – Dark Lager - St. Louis, MO
A deep reddish-brown lager with a rich malty flavor. The sweetness of the malt is balanced using another Bavarian friend….the Hellertau hop.
U.C.B.C. Bushelhead – Cider – St. Louis, MO
Clear golden pour with a white head. Sweet apple juice and green apple skin. Light tartness on the finish.
U.C.B.C Zwickel – German-style Lager – St. Louis, MO
An unfiltered, unpasteurized lager. Smooth-drinking, vitamin rich (from the yeast), naturally cloudy beer.
U.C.B.C Schnickelfritz – Barvarian Weiss – St. Louis, MO
The unmistakable characteristics of this Bavarian Weiss bier are achieved with a yeast that is decidedly fruity and phenolic. You may note clove, nutmeg or even vanilla and/or banana-like aromas and flavors.
U.C.B.C Zoo Bier – Light Lager – St. Louis
A salute to our great Saint Louis Zoo, this straw-colored American Light Lager is a clean, crisp, easy drinking light beer.
O’Fallon Pumpkin – Flavored Ale – St. Louis, MO
A classic recipe brought back by Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, this amber-colored ale is brewed with real pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Zootoberfest "Stein-A-Rita" Crafted Margarita Series
Beverages available while supplies last (21 and up only). Alcohol sales start at 11 a.m. on Sundays.
Margarita in a custom Zootoberfest stein: $12
Refills: $7.50 (for any beer or margarita)
Blood Orange Stein-A-Rita
CranApple Stein-A-Rita
Harvest Pear Stein-A-Rita
German-themed Fare
Enjoy specialty items at these locations:
Fried Pork Schnitzel Sandwich, served with German Potato Salad
Bratwurst, served with German Potato Salad:
- Beer Brat
- Cajun Chicken
- Jalapeno Pepper Jack
- Bacon Cheddar with Peppers and Onions
Bratwurst, served with German Potato Salad:
- Beer Brat
- Bacon Cheddar
- Jalapeno Pepper Jack
Caramel Apple Sundae Funnel Cake
Apple Cider Float
Mini Brat Sliders
Beer Cheese Mac ‘n’ Cheese, served with Braised German Red Cabbage
Giant Baked Turkey Legs
Bratwurst, served with German Potato Salad:
- Beer Brat
- Bacon Cheddar
- Jalapeno Pepper Jack
- Beyond Brat (meatless)
Giant Bavarian Pretzels with Beer Cheese Sauce
Sweet Baked Bavarian Apple Turnovers with Warm Caramel Drizzle
Iced Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso with Pumpkin Cold Foam
Cinnamon Sugar Bavarian Pretzel
Kettle Corn (Fall Flavors):
- Caramel Apple Crisp
- Pumpkin Spice
- Cheddar Cheese
- Traditional

For the Kinder (Children)
In addition to regular Zoo fun, kids are invited to participate in Zootoberfest activity stations, and root beer will be available for purchase.
Thank you to our 2025 sponsors:
Urban Chestnut Brewing Company