Cumbria Tourism is officially unveiling ‘Oktoberfest Cumbria 2025’, in a bid to attract more all-year-round visitors and support the county’s tourism and hospitality businesses during a traditionally quieter time of year.
Running throughout October, the festival is a brand-new addition to Cumbria Tourism’s high-profile ‘Let’s Go’ marketing campaign. It’s designed to boost seasonal bookings, encourage multi-night stays, and give visitors even more reasons to discover what the county has to offer outside the main summer holiday season.
Inspired by the world’s largest beer festival, Oktoberfest Cumbria 2025 will keep the fun going throughout October, from themed events throughout the month including food and drink, music and culture, to family-friendly activities during half term week.
Businesses across Cumbria are being encouraged to get involved and start making plans now – whether that’s hosting a one-off event, running themed menus and entertainment, or even creating a limited-edition beer to mark the occasion.
From Bavarian-inspired food with a Cumbrian twist, to stein-holding contests, traditional music and colourful decorations, there are countless ways for venues of all sizes to tap into new marketing opportunities and reach new audiences.
The full programme will be available at www.visitlakedistrict.com/Oktoberfest, with regular updates as new events and collaborations are announced.
Marketing Manager at Cumbria Tourism, Sue Clarke, says: “It’s fantastic to be adding Oktoberfest Cumbria 2025 to the county’s events calendar! It’s all about showcasing the county’s hospitality, creativity and warm welcome – and crucially, boosting trade when our businesses need it most.
“By offering something new and exciting at a traditionally quieter time of year, our objective is to encourage bookings, attract new visitors and give people even more reasons to return to the county.”
She adds, “With rising costs and tighter consumer spending at the forefront of operators’ minds, Oktoberfest is just part of Cumbria Tourism’s five-month 2025/26 winter marketing campaign to inspire all-year-round bookings and drive trade through the challenging winter months.
“We will be revealing more details in the coming weeks, but the wider campaign will build on the 148million reach of our seasonal marketing campaigns through Winter 2024 and into this Spring and Summer. It will also draw on new insights from the latest Cumbria Visitor Survey, helping us to shape and develop targeted activity based on people’s current travel experiences, habits and motivations.”
Businesses can find out more about getting involved with Oktoberfest Cumbria 2025 at: https://www.cumbriatourism.org/campaigns/oktoberfest-cumbria/