Oktoberfest Pittsburgh

Role: Copywriter
What we did: Strategy, Brand Identity, Campaign Concept, Copywriting, Environmental, Social, Experiential, Merchandise
Industry: Events, Food & Beverage
Agency: Gatesman

Oktoberfest Pittsburgh is an 11-day celebration that brings Bavarian tradition and Steel City spirit together in Downtown Pittsburgh each fall.

Over the event’s first three years, we have architected and evolved the brand identity to feel distinctly Pittsburgh at every touchpoint, from campaign creative and social content to signage, merchandise, and the on-site experience.

Primary Assets:

The Gatesman creative team created an award-winning aesthetic of a classic yet new Oktoberfest celebration for the ‘Burgh, scooping up a Silver Addy Award from the 2024-2025 Pittsburgh American Advertising Federation Awards.

The main promotional poster served as a key touchpoint, featuring the line, “Your Time to Stein,” which welcomed attendees and set the tone for an exciting experience.

Social Media:

I had a little too much fun writing for Steinholding competitions, Dachshund races, Ferris wheels on bridges, and more.
We garnered 14 million+ impressions through programmatic and paid social ads.

Merch and More:

We designed almost everything, from the coasters to the Ferris wheel display.

Oktoberfest Pittsburgh 2025:

When Oktoberfest returned in 2025, the event had a new home and an opportunity to evolve.

We refreshed the established visual identity while keeping the elements audiences already recognized, introducing “Raise One by the River” as a nod to the festival’s new riverfront location. The expanded system carried across promotional materials, environmental graphics, merchandise, and social.

Oktoberfest Pittsburgh 2026: Prostburgh!

Prost, rough translation: May it be beneficial. Nothing is more beneficial than connection. That’s the spirit of OKTPGH. That’s why we connected our city with “Prostburgh” for the third year of the event.

Inspired by “prost” and the concept’s spirit of well-wishing and togetherness, Prostburgh gave us a platform that could live beyond a single poster or tagline. We brought the world to life through a new, linocut-inspired visual system filled with PGH personality.

Primary Assets:

Social Media:

Somewhere between Pittsburgh and Bavaria, you’ll find Prostburgh. To build that world and build momentum ahead of the event, we connected Prostburgh’s identity with Pittsburgh's energy across social channels to create a cohesive, engaging digital campaign.

We found fun, unexpected connections between Pittsburgh and Prostburgh, then turned them into playful moments that kept the takeover going.