Mactoberfest is becoming one of the most anticipated events of the Summer.

2026 Mactoberfest Photos

This event is free and open to all! Come try local restaurants’ Macaroni and Cheese dishes as they battle it out to win the coveted best Mac and Cheese trophy, voted on by you.

Why is Mactoberfest in September?
When we added beer to the Mac & Cheese Festival in 2023, we took inspiration from Munich’s famous Oktoberfest which, fun fact, traditionally starts in September. We just swapped pretzels for pasta and made it our own. 🧀🍺

This year’s Mactoberfest will be held on Saturday, September 12th on Hopkins Avenue, and we’re turning up the fun with beer for sale by our local women’s hockey team, The Mother Puckers, live music, and plenty of cheesy competition. Two winners will be crowned, Judges’ Favorite and Crowd Favorite.‍ ‍Don’t miss this great community event that you can participate in!

The Crowd Favorite Winner will be determined by the number of votes received at our blind voting table. Every mac & cheese enthusiast will get the chance to taste, then cast their vote for their favorite. Once the event wraps up, we’ll tally the votes and crown the winner!

This year, a panel of judges will crown the Judges’ Favorite at Mactoberfest!
Our all-star tasting team includes:

• Mactoberfest veteran and cheese connoisseur, Laura Werlin (aka “The Cheese Lady”)

• Chef Barclay Dodge, Aspenite, MICHELIN Star Recipient, James Beard semifinalist, and Chef/owner of Bosq restaurant.

This year’s Competitors:

Lola 41
Bear Den
Meat & Cheese
West End Social
The Monarch Steakhouse
PARC Aspen
Sodexo @ Colorado Mountain College
City of Aspen Parking Authority
Castle Creek Cafe