Shore Craft Beer’s 12th Annual OCtoberfest Returns October 24
We’re putting the OC back in October.
Shore Craft Beer’s 12th annual OCtoberfest returns on Saturday, October 24, 2026, for an afternoon of local craft beverages, live music, food trucks, shopping and waterfront fun behind the Cambria Hotel in Ocean City, Maryland.
After our 2025 festival landed on November 1, we are thrilled to bring OCtoberfest back to its namesake month. This year’s event also takes place during Sunfest weekend, making it the perfect excuse to plan a fall beercation at the beach.
OCtoberfest 2026 at a Glance
Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026
Where: Waterfront lawn behind the Cambria Hotel, 13 Saint Louis Avenue, Ocean City, Maryland
VIP: 12:30–4:30 p.m.
General admission: 1:30–4:30 p.m.
VIP ticket: $60, plus ticketing fee
General admission ticket: $35, plus ticketing fee
Designated driver ticket: $15, plus ticketing fee
Early-bird offer: Save $5 on VIP or general admission before October 1 with code earlybird
Weather: Rain or shine; no refunds
Festival atmosphere: Family friendly
More Than 30 Ways to Raise a Glass
OCtoberfest celebrates the people and flavors behind the Shore’s craft beverage scene. In 2026, you will be able to sample more than 30 beverage options, including:
Local craft beer
Hard tea
Cider
Ready-to-drink cocktails
Nonalcoholic beer
General admission includes unlimited tastings from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Whether you love finding a new local beer or want something completely different in your glass, there will be plenty to explore.
Designated drivers can join their friends and receive complimentary water and soda. Alcoholic tastings are not included with a designated driver ticket.
Buy Tickets Now!
VIP Tickets!
VIP entry begins at 12:30 p.m., a full hour before general admission. Every VIP ticket includes:
Early festival entry
Specialty beverage access during the VIP hour
An engraved, double-walled stainless steel mug
Two full pours of any offered beverage
Access to the VIP tent
Complimentary water and soda
Unlimited festival tastings through 4:30 p.m.
Only 150 standalone VIP tickets are available beyond the VIP admissions reserved for Cambria Hotel packages. When they are gone, they are gone.
Buying early pays, too. Purchase a VIP or general admission ticket before October 1 and enter code earlybird at checkout to save $5.
Hotel Packages
Lower Case Blues is Playing LIVE!
We are excited to welcome Lower Case Blues to the OCtoberfest stage. Their blues-rock sound will carry across the Cambria lawn while guests sample, shop, eat and enjoy the bayfront.
This is not a festival where you have to rush from one thing to the next. Find a favorite beverage, settle in for the music, visit the vendors and enjoy a fall afternoon on the water.
Food Trucks for 2026:
Tastings are included with drinking tickets, and food is available for separate purchase. The current food lineup includes:
Anthony Sessa’s Hot Dogs
Mother’s Cantina
Coastal Catering
Grab what sounds good, find your spot near the music and make an afternoon of it.
Shop the 2026 Vendor Lineup
OCtoberfest brings regional makers, small businesses and plenty of interesting finds to the waterfront. Our growing 2026 vendor lineup includes:
Crafty Crab
Drink Local MD
Whimsical Wonders by Kris
M.A.D. Trucker Hats
Quinton’s Quality Products at Truitt Farm LLC
Hillbilly’s Jerky
ETCHCraft Designs by Kelly Lahr
Kara’s K9 Waffle Treats
The Bay Gypsy
Renewal by Andersen
Passanante’s Home Food Services
Mary’s Sew Shop
Beach Girl Woodworks by Marcy Witkowski
Divine Planet Studio
Beer & Beverages
Stay on the Waterfront With a VIP Hotel Package
Want to turn the festival into a full Ocean City weekend? The Cambria Hotel is offering an OCtoberfest package that puts you steps from the event.
At the time of publication, the package includes a Saturday-night stay on October 24 and two VIP tickets for $349, plus tax. Friday night, October 23, can be added for $219, plus tax. Rates and availability may change.
View the Cambria OCtoberfest VIP hotel package
OCtoberfest also falls during Ocean City’s Sunfest, which runs October 22–25, 2026. Build your getaway around music, arts and crafts, food at the Inlet, then join us on the bayfront Saturday afternoon.
Use OceanCity.com’s complete OCtoberfest 2026 guide to plan your visit
Volunteer for Two Hours, Play for Two Hours
We need volunteers to help make OCtoberfest happen. The deal is simple: work a two-hour shift, then play for two hours.
It is a fun way to get involved, meet people and help us create a great experience for visitors and the local community. Check the ticket and information page for current volunteer details.
See OCtoberfest tickets and volunteer information
Your Ticket Helps Give Back
Proceeds from OCtoberfest 2026 benefit Destination Growth Partners, a nonprofit working to build tourism experiences that support residents, visitors and local communities.
We believe a strong tourism economy should create memorable experiences and give something back to the places that make them possible. Your OCtoberfest ticket helps advance that mission while bringing people together on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
Get Your 2026 OCtoberfest Tickets
Join us Saturday, October 24, behind the Cambria Hotel for local craft beverages, Lower Case Blues, food, vendors and a beautiful afternoon beside the bay.
General admission is $35, VIP is $60 and designated driver admission is $15, plus ticketing fees. Buy GA or VIP before October 1 and use code earlybird to save $5.
Only 150 standalone VIP tickets will be sold beyond the tickets included in Cambria Hotel packages.
SPONSORS:
A beercation is just what you need with sunny warm weather predicted for the weekend.
Shore Craft Beer Fest Octoberfest is back! Tickets sold IN ADVANCE and at the event. Get yours now!
This is an old-fashioned Shore Craft Beer Fest to celebrate Octoberfest in Ocean City, Maryland. We are selling VIP and General Admission (GA) tickets. Children and pets are welcome in the park. There is a huge playground for kids.
COSTUME CONTEST
For those of you who want to keep the party going, wear your Halloween costume to the event. We will bring everybody in costumes up to the stage where the crowd will vote for the winning costume. You will get 2 General Admission tickets to the Shore Craft Beer Fest: LOVE ON TAP at Seacrets on February 21, 2026 AND a $100 gift certificate to an Ocean City hotel so you can start planning your next trip!
PET & CHILD FRIENDLY
There is a huge playground for kids and all pets, on leashes of course, are welcome. Children 12 and under are free. 12-20 can enter with a parent using the DD ticket. Free waters will be available for all DD ticket holders at the VIP tent
VIP TICKET HOLDERS
We will begin letting VIPs (and their guests) ONLY into the park at 12:00 and beer will be served beginning at 12:30. General Admission ticket holders can line up starting at 1:15 pm and we will process you so you can be in the park and able to drink starting right at 1:30.
VIPs get
- an extra hour
- a cool stainless steel double-walled stein,
- 2 full pours of your favorite beers
- access to the VIP tent with chairs
- free water in the VIP tent
- limited quantity specialty beers. Don’t forget your dancing shoes – and costumes if you like!
GENERAL ADMISSION
GAs get 3 hours of unlimited sampling for only $35!