$18.03 Buys an Adult Sunday at Big Bear Oktoberfest, a Drive From L.A.

Adult entry on a Sunday is $18.03. Children 3 to 12 get in free that day. Those are the prices posted on the festival's own event page, which we read on Aug. 30, 2026. Oktoberfest runs at the Big Bear Lake Convention Center, 42900 Big Bear Blvd. The page lists an entry time for each session and no closing time. Leave the back half of your day open.

Here is why it lands on you in Los Angeles: this is a fall plan that runs long enough to let you pick your date on price instead of on luck. It is a drive out of the city, and we did not measure it. The ticket page prices the festival, not your gas.

The dates: nine weekend blocks

The official listing carries nine weekend blocks for 2026. The ticket table sorts them as Weekend 1 through Weekend 9, in this order:

1. Sept. 12–13
2. Sept. 19–20
3. Sept. 26–27
4. Oct. 2–4
5. Oct. 9–11
6. Oct. 16–18
7. Oct. 23–25
8. Oct. 30–Nov. 1
9. Nov. 7–8

You may see a longer run advertised elsewhere. Secret Los Angeles published a write-up on Aug. 29, 2026. It describes the festival as a ten-weekend run beginning September 12. The end date the outlet gives is November 14. The festival's own posted calendar stops at November 8. Book off the official calendar, not the round number.

What the door costs

Every figure below is what the festival's official page lists under 2026 ticket pricing, fees included. Child pricing covers ages 3 to 12. The senior rate starts at 62. There is no separate beer-garden ticket. General admission covers the outdoor High Altitude Bier Garten, and Preferred Seating Outdoors is sold as an upgrade at the same price as the indoor version.

• Saturdays, lowest tier — the first two weekends and the last. Entry at 1 p.m. or 4 p.m. Adults $28.68, seniors $19.10. Children $10.58, preferred seating $73.41.
• Saturdays, middle tier — the third, fourth and eighth weekends. Same afternoon entries. Adults $34.01, seniors $24.42. Children $12.71, preferred seating $87.26.
• Saturdays, top tier — the fifth, sixth and seventh weekends. Same afternoon entries. Adults $39.33, seniors $24.42. Children $14.84, preferred seating $91.52.
• Late Saturday entry, the fourth through eighth weekends. Doors at 5 p.m. Adults $28.68, seniors $19.10. Children $10.58, preferred seating $68.09.
• Sunday, noon entry, every weekend on the calendar. Adults $18.03, seniors $14.84. Children 3 to 12 free.

The Sunday listing also posts a Family Fun Day bundle at $61.48 for four tickets. Four adult Sunday admissions bought singly would run $72.12. That puts the bundle $10.64 under the line. The page does not spell out what mix of adults and children the four covers. Ask before you buy if your group skews young.

The late option is 21 and over. An After Dark session posts a 7:30 p.m. entry on the fourth through eighth weekends. Adult entry is $28.68, with no senior or child rate listed.

If money is the deciding factor, the arithmetic is not subtle. Sunday is the cheapest door on the calendar. Go Sunday.

Prices, dates and entry times here were read off the festival's official listing on Aug. 30, 2026. Event pages change. Re-check before you leave Los Angeles, particularly if you are aiming at the last two weekends.