© München Tourismus, Werner Boehm The 188th Munich Oktoberfest
from Sat, Sep 16, 2023 – Tue, Oct 3, 2023
The biggest festival in the world, now in its 188th year, begins with the grand parade of innkeepers and breweries, and the traditional costume and marksmen parade through Munich on Sunday. Tuesdays between 12 noon and 6 pm are family days at the Oktoberfest with reductions on rides, admission and prices.
The origin
Four years after Bavaria became a kingdom, Crown Prince Ludwig, later King Ludwig I, married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810. The official wedding celebrations lasted five days. The festivities in the city centre, which were already called a “folk fair” at the time, ended on October 17 with a horse race on the grasslands outside the gates of Munich. Children in traditional Bavarian costumes paid homage to the attending members of the royal family with poems, flowers and fruits of the land. In honour of the bride, the fairground was named “Theresens- Wiese”. This is still the name of the Oktoberfest grounds today: “Theresienwiese” – in Munich parlance called the “Wiesn” for short.
Oktoberfest Location: Theresienwiese, München
Opening hours
Beer Serving Hours
Weekdays: 10 am – 10:30 pm
Saturdays, Sundays and holidays: 9 am – 10:30 pm
Daily Tent Closing Time: 11:30 pm
The “Käfer Wiesn-Schänke” and the “Weinzelt” are open until 1 am. Last call for alcohol: 12:15 am.
More about the tents
Sales Booths (souveniors, cigarettes, etc.)
Monday – Thursday: 10 am – 11:30 pm
Friday: 10 am – 12 am (midnight)
Saturday: 9 am – 12 am
Sundays and holidays: 9 am – 11:30 pm
Carnival and Rides
Monday – Thursday: 10 am – 11:30 pm
Friday, Saturday: 10 am – 12 am
Sundays and holidays: 10 am – 11:30 pm
Family Days (with reduced prices)
Every Tuesday from 12 pm until 6 pm
Discounted ride, entrance, and sales prices!
For more information: www.oktoberfest.de/en
All about beer…
Among the many attractions, the “liquid gold” is probably the most important thing at the Oktoberfest. As usual, over 6 million liters of beer will be drunk this year.
Price: A “Mass”, one litre of beer, will cost at least 14,50 € this year.
Serving times: Beer will be sold in the tents from 10.00 to 22.30 on weekdays and from 9.00 to 22.30 on saturdays, sundays and holidays.
Where to get which beer:
Warning: Prices are quite likely to be higher
- Armbrustschützen-Festzelt: 14,40 Euro (2022: 13,50 Euro)
- Augustiner-Festhalle: 13,50 Euro (2022: 12,80 Euro)
- Bräurosl: 14,30 Euro (2022: 13,40 Euro)
- Fischer-Vroni: 13,70 Euro (2022: 12,90 Euro)
- Hacker-Festzelt: 14,40 Euro (2022: 13,40 Euro)
- Hofbräuhaus-Festzelt: 14,50 Euro (2022: 13,60 Euro)
- Käfer Wiesn-Schänke: 14,50 Euro (2022: 13,70 Euro)
- Löwenbräu-Festzelt: 14,50 Euro (2022: 13,60 Euro)
- Marstall: 14,50 Euro (2022: 13,70 Euro)
- Ochsenbraterei: 14,50 Euro (2022: 13,50 Euro)
- Paulaner-Festzelt: 14,50 Euro (2022: 13,50 Euro)
- Schottenhamel-Festhalle: 13,60 Euro (2022: 13,60 Euro)
- Schützen-Festzelt: 14,50 Euro (2022: 13,70 Euro)
- Weinzelt (Weißbier): 17,40 Euro (2022: 16,80 Euro)
The Bavarian Purity Requirements:
It’s no coincidence that Bavaria has the best beer in the world: Since the 16th century there have been strong regulations about brewing beer and how to keep up the high quality of the final product by choosing the ingredients very carefully. One of the oldest laws concerning food and drink is the Bavarian Purity Requirements, decreed by Duke William IV in 1516: Only water, hops and barley should be used to brew Bavarian beer.
The Schottenhamel tent
One of the most important tents of the Wiesn, as everything starts inside this tent.
On the opening day of the Wiesn, at 12 pm on the dot, the mayor of Munich will tap the first keg and call out “O’zapft is!” confirming that the tapping was successful. It is only after this that all other tents may begin to serve beer.
The Schottenhamel tent, which in 1867 was just a small beer booth with 50 seats, has become the largest Wiesn tent with circa 10,000 seats. The Schottenhamel is the favorite amongst Munich’s young people who meet there to drink and party.