When
October 9–11, 2026.
The festival runs Friday through Sunday, with the 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run on Friday night.
October 9–11, 2026 • Alton, Illinois
A parish tradition built around faith, family, food, and community.
St. Mary’s Oktoberfest brings the community together for a full weekend of food, beer, live music, games, raffles, Mass, the Friday night 5K, and mission-driven support for Catholic faith and education.
Quick start guide
The quick answers before you start clicking around.
Use this as the plain-language starting point for guests, families, runners, sponsors, and volunteers.
Where
St. Mary’s Catholic Church and School grounds.
519 East 4th Street, Alton, IL 62002.
Parking
Parking is available along Henry Street and nearby side streets. Please do not park in the Honke lot directly across from the front of the church.
Cost
General admission is free. Food, drinks, raffles, games, wristbands, and race registration are purchased separately.
Tickets and payment
A Guest Services station can help you find where to buy tickets for kids games, inflatables, and adult gaming. Beer stands are cash only. An ATM is available on site, and food stands accept cards.
Start here
What do you need?
The site puts the most important paths near the front door: sponsorship, volunteering, weekend planning, race registration, and request information.
Sponsor Oktoberfest
Support St. Mary’s parish, school, and community while placing your business in front of a loyal local audience.
Volunteer for the Weekend
Help with food, games, tickets, setup, cleanup, 5K support, hospitality, and the many jobs that keep the weekend moving.
Plan Your Visit
See the weekend schedule, food and beer, Mass times, games, music, raffles, and family-friendly activities.
Run the 5K
Kick off the weekend with the Friday night 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run for runners from across the region, walkers, families, and stroller crews.
Mission
More than a fundraiser.
St. Mary’s Oktoberfest organizes, supports, and celebrates Catholic faith and education, raising essential funds to strengthen our parish, school, and community.
That mission shapes how the event is planned: every sponsor, booth, volunteer role, and weekend activity should support faith, education, family, service, and community connection.
Built by generations
More than a weekend. A parish tradition people keep carrying.
St. Mary’s Oktoberfest is built by parishioners, school families, volunteers, runners, sponsors, cooks, chair families, and friends who keep showing up year after year. Some help from the grill line. Some help with beer, trash, raffles, setup, teardown, or the 5K. Some helped shape the event years ago and are still part of why it feels like St. Mary’s.
Longtime volunteers and friends
The event carries the fingerprints of people who served faithfully, welcomed guests, and helped make the weekend feel personal.
The work behind the scenes
Trash, setup, teardown, cooking, hauling, and the quiet jobs matter because they make the public-facing parts possible.
Chair families and parish leadership
Each year builds on the people who organized before, handed off the work, and kept the tradition moving forward.
Parish friends across the years
The weekend is also a reunion, with familiar faces returning to support the parish, school, and broader community.
Families who keep coming back
Parents, children, alumni, school families, and friends all help keep Oktoberfest connected to more than one generation.
Built through generations of volunteers
Each year, Oktoberfest grows because people step in, share what they know, and help the next group carry the work forward. The weekend reflects years of leadership, service, and family connections across the community.
Scenes from Oktoberfest
A weekend built by parish volunteers, families, runners, cooks, sponsors, and guests who keep coming back.
Food, beer, music, race night, kids games, parish life, and volunteer work all show up across the weekend. These scenes give visitors a quick sense of the event without crowding the first impression.
Ready to help?
Sponsors and volunteers make the weekend work.
Oktoberfest depends on people stepping in early, filling the gaps, and keeping the event welcoming for guests, families, students, parishioners, and the broader community.