Claire Bullen is an award-winning food, drinks, and travel writer and editor who has lived and worked in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Paris, and London. She is the author of The Beer Lover's Table: Seasonal Recipes and Modern Beer Pairings, and the editor at GoodBeerHunting.com. Her writing has also appeared in Time Out New York, The Daily Meal, Pellicle Magazine, and beyond.
Claire Bullen is an award-winning food, drinks, and travel writer and editor who has lived and worked in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Paris, and London. She is the author of The Beer Lover's Table: Seasonal Recipes and Modern Beer Pairings, and the editor at GoodBeerHunting.com. Her writing has also appeared in Time Out New York, The Daily Meal, Pellicle Magazine, and beyond.
Hi, I'm Claire!Claire Bullen is an award-winning food, drinks, and travel writer and editor who has lived and worked in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Paris, and London. She is the author of The Beer Lover's Table: Seasonal Recipes and Modern Beer Pairings, and the editor at GoodBeerHunting.com. Her writing has also appeared in Time Out New York, The Daily Meal, Pellicle Magazine, and beyond.
Hi, I'm Claire!Claire Bullen is an award-winning food, drinks, and travel writer and editor who has lived and worked in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Paris, and London. She is the author of The Beer Lover's Table: Seasonal Recipes and Modern Beer Pairings, and the editor at GoodBeerHunting.com. Her writing has also appeared in Time Out New York, The Daily Meal, Pellicle Magazine, and beyond.
Attended by over 6 million visitors annually, enormous in scale, and tonally somewhere between an amusement park and an all-you-can-drink extravaganza, Oktoberfest in Munich or “die Wies’n” (the local name for Theresienwiese where the event takes place) is by far one of the top Munich attractions and festivals in Germany. The annual Bavarian beer festival—which, despite its name, actually begins in late September each year, and lasts for roughly 2.5 weeks—is a smorgasbord of traditional Bavarian music, food, and, of course, beer tents full of beer.
Held at Munich’s Theresienwiese park, Oktoberfest celebrations have grown into a larger-than-life spectacle that’s on the bucket list of beer drinkers (and even non-beer drinkers) everywhere. But if you’re visiting for the first time, there are some Oktoberfest basics you need to know that'll have you partying, singing, and swinging steins with the best of them. Here's our ultimate Oktoberfest guide.
Now globally recognized as Bavaria’s and the world’s largest beer festival, Oktoberfest originated from the celebration of the wedding of the future King Ludwig and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810. The wedding celebrations included a large feast and horse races, and the royal family of the time invited the whole city of Munich to join in the happy occasion.
The festivities were such a success, that in the years following the wedding, a harvest-time agricultural fair was added to the annual horse races. In an effort to entice families to enjoy the day out, a carnival was then added in the late 1800s. While it's now best known as a beer festival, stands selling malty ales and lagers were only a small aspect of the event—that is, until 1896 when brewery-sponsored tents joined in the carnival action, which gave rise and evolved into the Oktoberfest we know and love today.
To secure your space in one of the biggest Oktoberfest tents, you’ll want to book tickets around 4-5 months out. The earlier, the better for this annual celebration, as Oktoberfest tickets can sell out fast.
Of course, given the popularity of Oktoberfest, you'll need to book your stay in Munich in advance as well. Due to its proximity to the Oktoberfest celebrations, many people will opt to stay in the Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt neighborhood of Munich. However, accommodation here during the festivities can be noisy, cramped, and pricy. If you don’t mind a short taxi ride, or a meandering stroll to clear your head, we suggest staying somewhere else for a more relaxing, and economical, visit.
Staying in either Marienplatz, Odeonsplatz, or Sendlinger Tor, will offer you easy access via the U-Bahn to the Oktoberfest carnival while keeping you in reach of the best attractions in Munich. Try to book as early as possible, as accommodations can be booked up nearly a year in advance for the festival.
While you don’t have to wear a dirndl or lederhosen to attend Oktoberfest, you’ll probably be in the minority if you don’t wear traditional clothing. Both Germans and international visitors alike don tracht, or traditional garb, for the event, and if you want to really indulge in the spirit of gemütlichkeit, it’s worth investing in an outfit of your own. If you can’t order one in advance, explore Munich’s specialist shops and department stores, as they often carry a wide range of styles. And if you’re really pressed for time, you can even pick up an outfit from stalls in and around the Munich Central Station (München Hauptbahnhof).
Lager lovers, this one’s for you. There's famously just one beer style poured at Oktoberfest, and no—it’s no longer the rich, amber-hued lagers you’ve probably seen sold as Oktoberfest seasonals. Instead, the drink of choice at the Theresienwiese is festbier: a strong, golden lager that clocks in between 5.8–6.3 percent ABV, and which is a little bit like a suped-up Munich helles. The style supplanted malty märzen at the festival grounds several decades ago, and it was only added to the official Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) beer style guidelines in 2015.
Insider tip: Get acquainted with the local lagers ahead of the festival with a local beer and food tour of Munich.
Every year, Munich’s “Big Six” breweries—Hofbräu, Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Augustiner, Spaten, and Löwenbräu—occupy enormous “tents,” in Oktoberfest parlance, which are really closer to mammoth drinking stadiums. Table reservations are made at the respective breweries, and open in the spring; you may need to book a half or whole table at a time, or pay for vouchers in advance. Are you too late to grab an Oktoberfest booking? Oktoberfest tours and advance-booking options take the hassle out of the experience, while a portion of tables are left free for day-of walk-ins—plan to arrive early in the day to increase your chances of securing a table.
Drinkers have varying preferences among the Big Six—Hacker Pschorr’s cloud-bedecked ceiling is one of the most popular thanks to its bright and airy nature, the Augustiner is the only brewery to pour its festbier directly from wooden barrels and is considered the most traditional of the Oktoberfest tents. But once you’ve taken in the supersized spectacle, it’s worth seeking out Oktoberfest’s smaller tents. To experience Oktoberfest as it once was, head to the more relaxed Festzelt Tradition tent, where you can listen to oompah bands perform, watch folk dancers perform, and sip your beer directly from ceramic mugs.
If you’re swigging liter upon liter of festbier, it’s wise to line your stomach with some food. Luckily, food is also a key component of the Oktoberfest experience. The tents will have varying menus, but you’re certain to find roast chicken (or Wiesnhendl), a staple of the festival, as well as hearty German fare such as bratwurst. If carbs are more your thing, cheese spaetzle, and knödel dumplings go well with beer, while schweinshaxe, or pork knuckle, is best for when you’ve really got an appetite.
If you haven’t heard “Ein Prosit” at least 300 times during your Oktoberfest stint, you clearly haven’t stayed long enough. The good-natured drinking song amounts to the festival’s anthem, and no matter where you are, you’re sure to hear resident bands strike up the tune sooner rather than later. Luckily, its lyrics are very simple to learn; don’t be afraid to belt it out while holding your beer aloft:
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit (A toast, a toast)
Der Gemütlichkeit (To cheerfulness)
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit (A toast, a toast)
Der Gemütlichkeit (To cheerfulness)
Which is then followed by a toast: Oans, zwoa, drei, g’suffa! (One, two, three, drink up!)
Don’t make Oktoberfest your one and only Munich stop. It’s worth breaking up your time at the festival with some sightseeing—or at least a sobering walk around the city’s tranquil English Gardens. Exploring by bike is also a good way to sweat out the beer while catching Munich’s must-see sights, and discovering the city’s many museums (including the Beer and Oktoberfest Museum) will reward culture lovers. And if your thirst still hasn’t been quenched, you can visit the much-lauded Hofbräuhaus, taste beers from other popular Bavarian breweries such as Ayinger and Schneider, and plan supplementary visits to local bierkellers and biergartens.
What can non-beer drinkers order at Oktoberfest? There are loads of options for non-beer drinkers at Oktoberfest. There are various wines you can choose from, plus liquor, cocktails, and even non-alcoholic drinks such as coffee, tea, soda, juice, and water.
Is Oktoberfest cash only? Yes, you can only pay with cash at the Oktoberfest tents. There are ATMs located around the Oktoberfest grounds.
Are kids allowed at Oktoberfest? Kids are allowed at Oktoberfest.
Is there anything to do at Oktoberfest besides drink? Oktoberfest may be all about the beer, but that doesn't mean it's the only thing to do. There are festival rides, including a Ferris wheel, parades, shopping, concerts, and of course, all the wonderful Oktoberfest food.
What is the word for “cheers” at Oktoberfest? “Prost!”
This piece was originally published in 2022 and has been recently updated by Luke Spacey.
