Putting the ‘ber’ in Oktoberfest
End of October signals Oktoberfest, among other things in the Philippines, and for those already deep into the seasonal festive mood, the best place to head from Oct. 28 to 31 is The Ballroom of Hilton Manila Newport World Resorts, where Oktoberfest is back for its fourth run. For four nights, the ballroom takes on the convivial spirit of a Bavarian beer hall, with long tables filled with guests, steins raised, and a celebration that grows as each evening unfolds.
Newport World Resorts does their German festivities a little differently, as we saw media guests, male and female, gamely line up for Stein Holding contests (extending their mugs of Weihenstephaner at arm’s length the longest), Beer Chugging up to a full pint (without reaching for a plastic bucket), and a new challenge, for me, anyway: the Hammerschlagen Contest, in which contestants compete to see who can hammer a nail into a platform of wood quickest.
Hammer time!
Prost time!
Weihenstephaner is reportedly the oldest brewery in the world (based in Freising, Germany, it has nearly 1,000 years of brewing heritage), and steins were refilled all night with Original Helles (pale Bavarian lager), Hefe Weissbier (a pale wheat ale), and Dunkel (a bottom-fermented dark lager).
All the better to pair with the Hilton Manila’s Oktoberfest menu, which more than stands up to the crisp ales and lagers. Newport World Resorts VP for Food and Beverage operations Knut Becker, attired in lederhosen for the media launch, has a great menu of Bavarian delights at the ready, including traditional laugen pretzels, German ryes, breads and Brötchen rolls, beef goulash, delicious kartoffelsalat (potato), nudelsalat (pasta), karottensalat (carrot), and wurstsalat (sausage) salads, followed by a winning selection of meats from the carving station—zwiebelrostbraten (roast beef with onions), schweinshaxe (crispy pork knuckle), wiener schnitzel and schweineschnitzel (chicken and pork schnitzels).
The star attraction is always the traditional weißwurst sausage, like Frankfurter sausage, Nürnberger and Thüringer, German meatloaf, cheese-stuffed frikadellen (meat patties), plus sides like spätzle (German noodles, cream sauce with Emmental and Gruyère, crispy onions), bratkartoffeln (fried potatoes), and sauerkraut.
After the traditional event opening and “Prost!” singalong by Becker and Hilton Manila GM Gagan Talwar, it was time to hit the Oktoberfest buffet.
Along with the food and endless supply of Weihenstephaner, expect thoroughly authentic evenings of entertainment from AnTon Showband, returning from Bavaria for all four nights. You will feel the spirit—or the Weihenstephaner—move you, and before long, steins will be raised and voices lifted to the traditional party jams.
Newport World Resorts Marketing SVP Mitch Hernandez-Suarez pointed out how Oktoberfest fits into Filipinos’ natural festive mood as the “ber” months head into the holiday season. “October is when we’re starting to rev up for parties, meet with people; we even celebrate Halloween, and Oktoberfest is a great chance to start doing that.”
It’s like a dry run for the Christmas holidays, when you think about it. The Philippines does have the longest Christmas season in the world, so Oktoberfest is a way to stretch your legs for non-stop festivities leading up to Dec. 25 and New Year’s.
Between refills, I had to ask Becker where he sourced the lederhosen and dirndls for the Oktoberfest staff. He mentioned a supplier in Clark that imports many of the traditional German costumes for the staff at Newport World Resorts, then pointed out another very Filipino workaround: He gets his from friends and relatives to carry them in their luggage from Germany whenever they come to visit.
Which is—let’s face it—so very Filipino.
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Oktoberfest 2026 runs from Oct. 28 to 31 at The Ballroom, Hilton Manila Newport World Resorts. Early-bird tickets are available at P5,300 nett per person until Sept. 30. For ticket reservations, contact Hilton Manila Commercial at 0917-8115779 or email ladydianne.tan@hilton.com and shine.lubaton@hilton.com.
For more information, visit www.newportworldresorts.com and follow @newportworldresorts on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
