Parktoberfest at Ashland, Your Second Chance at Oktoberfest

If you missed Christ the King Oktoberfest two weeks ago, you have a second chance. I "Noah" festival. And if you went and want to do it all over again, you party animal, this is the perfect festival for that. Parktoberfest is the one day Oktoberfest that West Sixth Brewing and Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate, put on together on the Great Lawn. It's a smaller version of Christ the King Oktoberfest, one afternoon instead of two nights, but it has the same ingredients. Steins, beer, German food, live music, and a lawn full of people who are ready to party and relax. This was the second year, and it ran Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 2 to 8. Admission is free. If you're in, read on.

Parking

Since it's free to get in, parking is the only thing you have to plan. You can buy a spot on the estate ahead of time through Eventbrite for about $30, with the entrance on Fincastle Road, and that money goes to Ashland. We skipped that and parked in the neighborhood instead. We drove down Woodspoint Road, turned right onto Ashwood Road, and found a spot on the street a little way down. It was about a five minute walk to the lawn. The free street spots fill up fast and the organizers ask that you not block anybody's driveway, so the earlier you get there the easier it is. There's a bike rack from Broke Spoke if you'd rather ride.

It gets crowded

By 4 o'clock the lawn was packed. People were spread out on blankets and camp chairs under the big trees. There were a lot of people there, but there was still room to lay a blanket down with a chair or two and spread out a little, especially if you walked away from the crowds gathering around the tents and the music. Do bring a chair or a blanket. It makes the whole afternoon.

The steins

A plastic half liter stein is $10 and comes with a coupon good for one pour from any brewery there. After that, refills are $7 all day. We bought two. My wife went with the Hazy But Lazy IPA from Mirror Twin, the same one we split at the Southland Street Fair the weekend before. She knew she liked it, so she played it safe. I, on the other hand, wanted to play some kind of roulette, and since there was no casino tent at this one, it was beer roulette. I took a chance on the caramel apple cider from West Sixth, and it paid off. It has a nice caramel note to it and it's the perfect fall beverage.

Thirteen local makers were pouring. West Sixth, Mirror Twin, Ethereal, Country Boy, Blue Stallion, Burl Brew, The Brewer Dude, Black-Type, Versailles Brewing, and Maiden City Brewing on the beer side, plus Wisebird Cider, The Void Sake, and Berserker Meadery if you wanted something that wasn't beer.

The food

We got a chicken quesadilla from the West Sixth Cantina truck, which usually lives out at West Sixth Farm in Frankfort. It was six dollars for a mini quesadilla and it was excellent. The cheese had melted out past the tortilla and gone crispy and lacy around the edges while staying stringy in the middle. We split it and it was plenty for a snack.

The German food was at The Spatzel Factory truck, brats and sauerkraut, and they were running low early in the afternoon, so if that's what you came for, eat before you drink. Sav's Gourmet Ice Cream, Old Kentucky Kettle Corn, Cloud Candy, Bluegrass Caribbean Chefs, Totts, Jasmine Rice, Nourished Folks, and Pearl's were all there too, and Papa Pretzel had the pretzels covered.

What it cost us

Twenty dollars for two steins with a pour each, and six for the quesadilla. Twenty-six dollars for an afternoon out for two people, and we came home with two steins. That was the whole bill.

The music

The stage sits against the brick of the mansion itself, under a tent, and people sit on the grass right in front of it. Eight sets rotated through from a little after two. Tiramisu, a four piece with a saxophone, was on when we wandered over. And boy, he was really jamming on that sax. I look forward to seeing them again at other events. Music went on all evening.

Kids

There's a Kids Grove off to the side with face painting, balloon animals from Tiny Tall Man, and an art table from On the Move Art Studio where a bunch of kids were drawing on big sheets of paper. The face painting line was long, so if your kid wants it, go there first.

Dogs

Dogs are welcome on a leash and there were plenty of them. We met a Great Dane named Gunther, who almost came right up to my beer stein. His owner told us a lot of Great Danes are in need of adoption right now, which I did not know. If this blog isn't convincing you to come check this festival out, then the look on Gunther's face definitely should.

Everything else

There are porta potties, and a water refill station from Kentucky American Water if you bring a bottle. A few people showed up in lederhosen and dirndls, so dressing up is a thing here just like Oktoberfest, but you didn't have to.

Would we go back? Yes. We hope this festival continues. It's free to walk in, it's one of the nicest spots in the city, especially on a warm day, and it's the kind of thing where you can show up for an hour or stay all afternoon. The estate sits inside Ashland Park, one of the oldest neighborhoods on this side of town, with Chevy Chase a short walk down Fontaine Road. If you've ever wondered what it's like to live near Ashland, this is a good afternoon to find out.