Oktoberfest

On the first Saturday, at 12 noon, the Lord Mayor of Munich taps the first barrel in the Schottenhamel tent, and only then does the beer flow across the Theresienwiese. This has been the way the Oktoberfest opens since 1950, and the tent hosts and brewers arrive beforehand in a procession. The Wiesn, as Munich calls it, begins with a ceremony, and then turns into a very large fair.

It started small. In October 1810 a horse race was held on the meadow outside the city for the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese, and the grounds are named after her. The festival moved into September in the 1890s for milder weather, and since 1949 the costume and marksmen's parade and the procession of hosts have been part of the opening again.

Today it is big. In 2026 the city counted about 7.4 million guests, a record, and 6.7 million Mass of beer served in 16 days. The grounds have around 120,000 guest seats, and the biggest tents hold roughly 10,000 to 12,000 people each. Apart from the big tents, the Oide Wiesn, a 3.5-hectare part of the grounds, had 447,000 visitors in 2026.

How to go. The 2027 Oktoberfest runs from 18 September to 3 October, on the Theresienwiese. The dates change from year to year, so check the official site before booking. The festival has a tent reservations section, and a table is worth reserving if you want to sit in one of the big tents. Book your bed early, since a festival with millions of guests fills the city's hotels.