Gentlemen, get out your lederhosen and Alpine hats; ladies, don your dirndls and aprons – It’s Oktoberfest! Your polka will automatically improve, and really, German beer and pretzels taste just that much better when you look the part.

Oktoberfest originated in 1810 in Munich when Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The party was so successful that it’s been repeated annually since then, except one single year during the Napoleonic Wars. Although the fall festivities are called Oktoberfest, the Munich event actually takes place for two weeks at the end of September through early October.

Even if you can’t make it to Munich for the original German cultural celebration, there are other places where thousands of people revel in long-lived German traditions.

Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario Oktoberfest

While Munich’s six million revelers are hard to match, the twin cities of Kitchener-Waterloo in Ontario, Canada hosts the world’s second largest Oktoberfest with up to a million merrymakers. The substantial German immigration to Kitchener in the 19th-century ensured that cultural traditions continue to be celebrated today, so you can count on getting your fill of authentic sausages and schnitzel there. (Oct. 7 – 15, 2016)

Blumenau Beer Festival, Brazil

About 30% of the population of Blumenau, a.k.a. Brazil’s “Little Germany,” is of German decent. The spirit of the Blumenau Oktoberfest is a celebration of German roots, but the Brazilians put their own spin on it. The cervejas served are mainly the national Brahma, along with some local German-style brews. The Brazilian beer pairs well with traditional German foods, and the keen observer is likely to see some samba moves incorporated into the folkloric polkas and waltzes. (Oct. 5 – 23, 2016)

Oktoberfest, American Style

Several cities in the U.S. enjoy large Oktoberfest celebrations. The largest is in Cincinnati, affectionately known as “Oktoberfest Zinzinnati,” where over a half-million visitors consume tens of thousands of bratwurst, pretzels, and sauerkraut balls. The festivities kick off with the Running of the Wieners – a race of 100 dachshunds in hot dog bun costumes. The World’s Largest Chicken Dance is another Zinzinnati tradition, with 48,000 participants setting a Guinness World Record in 1974. (September 16 – 19, 2016)

Denver has celebrated Oktoberfest since 1969 and prides itself on its beer-drinking prowess. In addition to mouthwatering German foods and folk music, the festival features stein hoisting contests and keg bowling championships. (Sept. 23 – 25 and Sept 30 – Oct 2, 2016)

Frankenmuth, Michigan is known as Michigan’s Little Bavaria. In 1996, the Bavarian Parliament officially sanctioned the Frankenmuth Oktoberfest, and then Munich-based brewer Hofbräuhaus became the event’s official sponsor. These two votes of confidence gave the festival serious Old Country clout. With wiener dog races, cowbell playing, spoon clapping and wood chopping, the entertainment is as authentic as the food and beer! (Sept. 15 – 18, 2016)

Oktoberfest Brisbane, Australia

Oktoberfest even makes a showing down under in Brisbane, which in only nine years has grown to be Australia’s largest German festival and has donated over $185,000 to community outreach. Brisbane takes tradition seriously: The Lord Mayor ceremoniously opens the festival with the tapping of the first keg. The beers are hand-crafted specifically to the 500-year-old “Bavarian Purity Law” which says that only water, malt, hops, and yeast can be used to brew beer. Events include Miss Brisbane Oktoberfest, Beardmeister, and Bavarian Strongmen. German automobile aficionados also enjoy vintage and classic vehicles on display. (Oct. 7-9 and 14-16, 2016)

These Oktoberfest festivals are in cities where the German culture is toasted by many thousands of residents and visitors, but there are also hundreds of small towns and pockets of German diaspora across South America, Asia, Southern Africa, and Europe who honor their rich German heritage with Oktoberfest celebrations of their own.

To join in, just contact Covington’s vacation experts. And then all you have to do is practice saying “Eins, zwei, drei, g’suffa!”