When: From mid- to late September through the first Sunday of October. The dates are fixed and announced each year.
Tickets: Free entry, reserved tables — There's no admission ticket. Table reservations are made through each individual tent's website, usually as packages that include beer and food vouchers, and the best ones go early.
What it is
Sixteen-plus days of beer tents, brass bands, rides and roast chicken on Munich's Theresienwiese. Entry is free; the trick is getting a seat in a tent.
How to get started
- Know that entry to the grounds and the tents is free — you don't buy an Oktoberfest ticket.
- If you want guaranteed tent seating (especially evenings and weekends), reserve a table directly with that tent, months ahead.
- For a walk-in, arrive on a weekday morning or early afternoon when tables are easier.
Tickets & where to buy
There's no admission ticket. Table reservations are made through each individual tent's website, usually as packages that include beer and food vouchers, and the best ones go early.
- Where to stay
- Munich books out for the festival — reserve a room well ahead or stay in a nearby town on the S-Bahn.
- First-timer tips
- You must be seated at a table to be served beer. Weekday mornings are the easy window; wear layers, it's autumn.
- Watch out
- The beer is strong (around 6%) and served by the litre — eat, hydrate, and know your limit.
Several of these festivals are tied to Easter or a lunar calendar, so the exact dates shift each year. Confirm the current year's dates and ticket on-sale times from the official source before you book flights.