Clayton Oktoberfest

Disclaimer: I’ve never been to Oktoberfest in Munich.
This Oktoberfest lasted 2 days. The festival is kind of small, but offers free admission which is a huge plus. There were several rides, nothing too different from what you would see at a fair or festival around here (ferris wheel, boardwalk games, few kid rides, gravity ride). The street is lined with small shops selling various knick knacks. There are about 10 restaurants selling German food. I was really hoping they would have currywurst, but it was mostly stereotypical German food — lots of wursts and some sauerkraut. There were also non-​German food stands in case you wanted something different. Of course there was beer and of course it would be Hofbrau beer. In fact, the music/​seating area tent was decorated with Hofbrau flags and German flags. As an update from previous reviews, beer was $ 7 for the beer mug and for each beer. While you make think this beer is very overpriced, you are unable to find some of the varieties in stores, like BevMo. They also sold schnapps.
I would come back to visit again some time in the future.

So I haven’t been to a real Oktoberfest in Germany and as such do not qualify as an expert. There were many things Ioved about this festival and things I think could be improved upon. All in all the people were so nice I’m pretty sure I’ll go back next year:
Loved:
–No admission fee! The Beer Mug was $ 5 and each beer was $ 5
–Parking was easy and free. Just parked at the Clayton library across the street, walked through a small tunnel and bam! we were there. Really nice!
The folks in attendance were of all ages including older folks and kids. This didn’t seem like an overgrown frat party but instead some of the nicest people you’d want to encounter at an Oktoberfest. Genuinely nice. Good moods… open to sharing their table, singing along and dancing to the music and very cheerful!
–The beers (Dark Ale, Oktoberfest Amber, Hefeweizen, and a super light one too were of good quality and a fair price.
–The German bank playing under the tent was a great band and my son danced to the chicken song
–There was enough of a selection of foods, including German foods for all tastes.
–Lots of carnival rides for the little kids and even a small ‘Root Beer Garten’
–No one was acting rowdy from being excessively drunk.
Cons:
–Only 4 beers to choose from. I think they should have at least 5 or 6
–They need FANS in ‘Bier Garten’ (big tented area with tables and no air flow). It’s too much to ask to put hundreds of bodies on a hot day crowded next to each other and drinking alcohol at that. FANS PEOPLE!
–Some of the food was not very good and the signs were not clear on pricing. If you asked you could order Terriaki Chicken skewers a la carte for only $ 8 but they sign said it cost $ 12 with noodles or rice… so I got one of each for $ 24. What a rip off! The noodles and fried rice were inedible.
–One of the vendors serving big sausages on rolls for $ 8 was very skimpy on the Sauerkraut and many patrons were complaining because this is an OKTOBERFEST!
–A lady selling crochet clothing was very rude when my jewelry snagged on her top. Maybe she should have a sign asking that all jewelry be removed before trying anything on. She yanked my bracelet from her clothing so hard it nearly broke it. Too bad cause if she hadn’t been so rude she’d have had a sale.

OK, this isn’t anything like a true Fest in Germany, but it’s decent for America. This is a much smaller festival tan the one in Oakland, it crosses a few blocks down main street in Clayton.
They had the usual tents with jewelery and other knick knacks, but crucially they had things that make this Oktoberfest more authentic.
Rides: this may seem silly, and they only had kiddie rides, but Oktoberfest in Munich has a lot of rides.
Drinks: German beer! Also schnapps!
Food: Yes they had American food, but they had a stand with sausage and sauerkraut!
German Music playing
Beer Tent: This really was a tent with tables that you could sit and eat or drink. While not like the «tents» at Oktoberfest, it was right by the music, food and a few beer stands.
Cheers to Oktoberfest!

We moved to the East Bay in the beginning of Summer and obviously wanted to find the suburban life that we left the City for. When September rolled around, I began to look for Oktoberfest events in Contra Costa County and read many good things about Clayton’s.
We swung by on Saturday afternoon not knowing what to expect and were very pleasantly surprised. It was every bit as crowded and had a similar variety of booths as any SF street fair.
We strolled into the garden for food and were pleased by the variety and value. We grabbed some beverages and found a couple of seats in the tent and had a great time!
After lunch we walked around the fair and checked out the rest of the vendors.
We enjoyed ourselves so much that on Sunday we came back for just an hour to have lunch and a beer. Good times, next year, I am demanding that my friends come out to the burbs and go with us!
There are a couple of wish-​they-​hads but kept us from getting drunk so probably a good thing ;-)
1. Bigger selection of beers — though I really liked the dunkel
2. Cider sold in more than one spot