A third-generation oompah brass band, nine beer options and a stein-holding contest take over Naper Settlement's 13-acre campus starting Friday, Oct. 2.
Oktoberfest runs 5–10 p.m. Friday and 3–10 p.m. Saturday at 523 S. Webster St. Tickets cost $25 for adults, $15 for children ages 4–12, and are free for kids under 4 and Naper Settlement members. Tickets are available only through NaperSettlement.org or at the guest services tent on arrival.
The headliner Friday is Ed Wagner's Lustige Blaskapelle, a Chicago-area brass band that traces its roots to 1945. That year, Ed "Bro" Wagner started a group called Ed and the Jolly Gang, playing German favorites in ethnic clubs around Chicago. Bro's son Ed took over as bandleader and trumpet player in the 1980s.
Now Ed's sons Matt and Eddie Wagner play baritone and tuba, making it a three-generation family act. The band carries nine to 12 members on any given night, including a father-son clarinet duo whose father was an original member.
Ed Wagner's Lustige Blaskapelle plays 5:30–7:30 p.m. Friday, followed by Eliminator, a ZZ Top tribute band, from 8–10 p.m.
Saturday's lineup opens with Freeze Dried, an oompah and polka band, at 3 p.m. Country cover band Whiskey Romance takes the stage at 5:30 p.m. Fool House, billed as a 2025 favorite, closes Saturday with its "Wow! That's What I Call 90s" tour from 8–10 p.m.
The stein-holding contest runs 5–5:30 p.m. Saturday. Contestants hold a full beer stein at arm's length as long as they can. The contest is open to men and women, with prizes for the winners.
Naper Settlement spokesperson Denise Wilt said this year's festival features nine beer options, wines and a hard cider. A new addition is Oberdorfer Festbier, brewed in Bavaria, Germany.
Other options include Hofbrau Oktoberfest, Shiner Oktoberfest and Schlafly Pumpkin Ale, according to Positively Naperville.
The food menu leans German: bratwurst, sauerkraut, pretzels, chicken schnitzel sandwiches, German potato salad, Black Forest chocolate cake, apple strudel and apple cider doughnuts.
Kids have options, too. Pinot's Palette offers painting sessions, Chasers Laser Tag brings inflatables, and lawn games are set up on the grounds.
Beverage tents are staffed by community volunteers. The Naperville Education Foundation pours Friday night. The Naperville Woman's Club and DuPage and Chicago South Suburbs Habitat for Humanity split Saturday shifts, with all tips going to their respective nonprofits.
Free parking is available at Naper Settlement's lot at Porter Avenue and Webster Street and at the Naperville Municipal Center garage after 5 p.m.
