Oktoberfest 2019: 8 of the Best Places to Celebrate in NYC

Alessandro Iorlano traveled all the way from Las Vegas to the Manhattan waterfront last weekend, fully loaded for Oktoberfest. He had a bachelor party’s worth of bros in tow, all wearing lederhosen they bought online, and each holding a collectible glass stein full of beer. They had drained a few already, but when it came time for a group photo, Iorlano looked at the tornado of partying and stray cornhole bags around him, and got the urge to go bigger. He hoisted a full stein of beer, turned it upside down and emptied all of that golden German brew directly into his mouth and down his clothes.

“I felt the vibes here — it’s just crazy,” the beer-soaked 27-year-old tells The Post. “I wanted to top the craziness. Look at this Oktoberfest — I love it. I’m obsessed with it.”

Beginning in 1810 in Munich, Germany, as a celebration of a Bavarian wedding, this autumn festival became an annual tradition, growing in length and revelry. Eventually, the festivities began to kick off a month early, in September, to take advantage of warmer weather and more daylight — the better for drinking outdoors.

Iorlano and his fellow lederbrosen were here to get wild, but New York City has enough Oktoberfest fetes for every taste, from authentic German family events to a booze cruise. A WalletHub study this year ranked the Big Apple the best city in America to celebrate Oktoberfest, thanks to our German restaurants, number of festivals and — let’s face it — New Yorkers’ love of drinking holidays. Here are the best places to say “prost!” this year.

Brat’ boys & girls

Unless you’re celebrating at the actual Alps, the view from the Watermark Bar on South Street is hard to beat. The pier stretches out into the East River, with the Brooklyn Bridge providing an Instagram-worthy backdrop for photos with roller-skating beer maids and 1-liter glass steins. The vibe here is frat party meets beer hall: The speakers pump pop music, and the pier is packed with games, including pingpong, cornhole and an oversized beer pong played with volleyballs and trash cans. You can soak up some of that German beer with giant pretzels, brat’s and more.

Andrew Freerks, 35, celebrates Oktoberfest every year along with his father, sister and brother-in-law. It may not be as authentic as the fests they’ve attended in Germany, but it’s still a heck of a party.

“This is like New York takes over Oktoberfest,” he tells The Post.

“Watermark presents OktoberFest,” Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to midnight, through Oct. 20. 78 South St., at Pier 15