September Means It Must Be Time for Oktober(fest)

Oktoberfest officially starts in Munich today, which means it's now perfectly acceptable to eat and drink copious amounts of German beer and sausage without anyone calling you a pig. Here are three places to raise your stein this weekend.

Friday and Saturday, September 19 and 20: Stammtisch's Oktoberfest Party will take to the street, with a biergarten and barbecue, plus live German music, games and face painting. The event starts at 5 p.m., with a ceremonial keg-tapping at 6 p.m. Open to all ages until 10 p.m., proceeds go to Youth Guidance Association.

Sunday, September 21: The Kennedy School hosts a free, all-ages Oktoberfest party from noon to 9 p.m., featuring five live bands and a biergarten. Be prepared for lots of accordion music.

Friday, September 19, through Sunday, September 21: Oaks Park's Oktoberfest has Paulaner beer and Zenner's sausage. Need we say more? In case that's not enough, there's also a full schedule of silly activities, like wiener dog races and condiment art contests, plus oompah bands and polka dancing.