Cost and payment
General admission is free. Food, drinks, raffles, games, wristbands, and race registration are purchased separately. Beer stands are cash only. An ATM is available on site, and food stands accept cards.
October 9–11, 2026 • Alton, Illinois
St. Mary’s Oktoberfest
Food, beer, live music, games, raffles, Mass, and the Friday night 5K.
October 9–11 in Alton, Illinois. A parish festival supporting St. Mary’s parish, school, and community life.
Explore the Weekend See the schedule, music, food, games, and more.
Bring the family Tap for games and visitor details
Kids games, inflatables, food, and live music make it easy to enjoy the weekend together. Admission to the festival is free; individual activities may require tickets or wristbands.
Use the grounds map below to find kids games, inflatables, food stands, and restrooms.
October 9–11, 2026
A weekend supporting St. Mary’s.
Find festival times, entertainment, and visitor information in the weekend schedule.
Your weekend, mapped out
Explore the Grounds
Find food, music, kids games, and restrooms around the festival grounds.
Tap to enlarge
ST. MARY’S OKTOBERFEST 5K
RUN. THEN PROST.
Friday, October 9 · 6 PM
Live music. Festival food. A free beer or soda with your race bib.
Register for the 5K
1-mile fun run starts at 6:05 PM.
Big Oktoberfest news
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is coming to St. Mary’s.
Friday, October 9 • 4:00–8:00 PM
Near the 5K starting area at Langdon Street and 3rd Street.
Come early on race night, grab a photo with one of America’s most recognizable vehicles, meet the Hotdoggers, and stay for Oktoberfest. The 5K starts at 6:00 PM and the 1 Mile Fun Run follows at 6:05 PM.
Registration is still open. Sign up now and make the Wienermobile part of your race night.
Thank you for Friday night
Our runners and Hotdoggers helped start the weekend.
To our runners and walkers
Thank you to everyone who joined the 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run, and to the volunteers who supported them. You brought energy to opening night and helped support St. Mary’s.
To our Oscar Mayer Hotdoggers
Thank you for bringing the Wienermobile, sharing your time with our guests, and adding some extra fun to Friday night. We’re grateful you were part of Oktoberfest.
Oktoberfest Sweepstakes
Support St. Mary’s. Enter the sweepstakes.
Drawing Sunday, October 11 at 8:15 PM. Sales close at 8:00 PM.
Presale only • Available through September 24
$149Save 20%
One pass. Everything your family needs.
Built for a family of four, with one check-in and the weekend essentials ready when you arrive.
- Two weekend kids wristbands
- Four meal vouchers
- Four drink tickets
- $25 in kids game tickets
- $25 in adult gaming credit
- One sweepstakes ticket
- Unlimited bottled water all weekend
- One Sunday Shivers treat up to $6 for each wristband holder
Limited passes available. Keep the VIP wristband on all weekend and bring it back Sunday afternoon for the Shivers finale treat.
Visitor basics
Plan your visit.
Find the dates, location, parking notes, and payment basics before you head to the grounds.
When
October 9–11, 2026.
The festival runs Friday through Sunday, with the 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run on Friday night.
See schedule
Where
St. Mary’s School grounds.
536 E 3rd St, Alton, IL 62002.
Get directions
Parking
Use surrounding streets and arrive early for the best spots. Do not park in the Honke lot; it is reserved for building tenants.
Parking notes
Sponsor Oktoberfest
Support St. Mary’s parish, school, and community while placing your business in front of a loyal local audience.
View sponsorship
Volunteer for the Weekend
Help fill the remaining weekend shifts. Choose an open role and time that works for you, and help keep food, games, and festival operations moving.
View open shifts
Plan Your Visit
See the weekend schedule, food and beer, Mass times, games, music, raffles, and family-friendly activities.
View schedule
Run the 5K
Kick off the weekend with the Friday night 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run for runners from across the region, walkers, families, and stroller crews.
Register for the 5K
Latest Oktoberfest updates
See what everyone is talking about.
Follow St. Mary’s Oktoberfest for festival announcements, photos, and community updates.
October 9–11, 2026
Share the weekend and invite family and friends to Alton.
View the Facebook post
The Wienermobile is coming
See the announcement, then make it part of your Friday race night.
View the Facebook postRun the 5K or Fun Run
See the race post, register, and bring your crew.
View the Facebook postThe people behind Oktoberfest
Thank you for supporting St. Mary’s.
From opening night through the final cleanup, this weekend depends on people who give their time, work, and support.
Thank you for the work.
Planning, setup, cooking, serving, running activities, and cleanup all matter. Thank you to everyone helping make the weekend possible.
Thank you for the support.
Your sponsorships, donations, and contributions help Oktoberfest support St. Mary’s parish, school, and community.
Meet our sponsorsThank you for showing up.
Whether you ran, visited with friends, enjoyed a meal, or brought the family, thank you for being part of St. Mary’s Oktoberfest.
Mission
More than a fundraiser.
St. Mary’s Oktoberfest organizes, supports, and celebrates Catholic faith and education, raising essential funds to strengthen our parish, school, and community.
That mission shapes how the event is planned: every sponsor, booth, volunteer role, and weekend activity should support faith, education, family, service, and community connection.
Built by generations
More than a weekend. A parish tradition people keep carrying.
St. Mary’s Oktoberfest is built by parishioners, school families, volunteers, runners, sponsors, cooks, chair families, and friends who keep showing up year after year. Some help from the grill line. Some help with beer, trash, raffles, setup, teardown, or the 5K. Some helped shape the event years ago and are still part of why it feels like St. Mary’s.
Longtime volunteers and friends
The event carries the fingerprints of people who served faithfully, welcomed guests, and helped make the weekend feel personal.
The work behind the scenes
Trash, setup, teardown, cooking, hauling, and the quiet jobs matter because they make the public-facing parts possible.
Chair families and parish leadership
Each year builds on the people who organized before, handed off the work, and kept the tradition moving forward.
Parish friends across the years
The weekend is also a reunion, with familiar faces returning to support the parish, school, and broader community.
Families who keep coming back
Parents, children, alumni, school families, and friends all help keep Oktoberfest connected to more than one generation.
Built through generations of volunteers
Each year, Oktoberfest grows because people step in, share what they know, and help the next group carry the work forward. The weekend reflects years of leadership, service, and family connections across the community.
Scenes from Oktoberfest
A weekend built by parish volunteers, families, runners, cooks, sponsors, and guests who keep coming back.
Food, beer, music, race night, kids games, parish life, and volunteer work all show up across the weekend. These scenes give visitors a quick sense of the event without crowding the first impression.
Ready to help?
Sponsors and volunteers make the weekend work.
Volunteer shifts are still available for October 9–11. Choose an open shift and help make the weekend welcoming for our guests, families, and parish community.