Yearly, thousands and thousands of partygoers converge in Munich to bop, drink and rejoice one widespread love: beer.
It flows from faucets, spills from steins and moist the lips of roughly 6 million attendees. That is the notorious Oktoberfest pageant, first celebrated in 1810 as a royal Bavarian wedding ceremony and nonetheless kicking as one of many world’s greatest festivals greater than 200 years later.
So what’s one of the best ways to rejoice this three-week-long social gathering? Fortunate for you, we’ve acquired all the very best suggestions and methods to navigate this whirlwind of drunken stumbles, carnival thrills and age-old German traditions.
Right here’s all the pieces it’s essential to learn about attending Oktoberfest in Munich.
In a rush? Skip to reserving your Oktoberfest lodging bundle now!
Expertise the last word Oktoberfest social gathering by reserving your tenting lodging with Stoke Journey. Packages are all-inclusive, and your tent, sleeping luggage and sleeping mats are pre-prepared in your arrival. Their cooks will cook dinner you a hearty breakfast each morning to fill your abdomen.
The Stoke Journey crew and guides will present you the social gathering, each on the campsite and within the beer halls, and be sure to get pleasure from it. Plus, their open and limitless bar serves up German beer and Spanish sangria, wine, delicate drinks, tea and occasional! What extra may you need?

Right here’s an summary:

The “Must Know’s” When Attending Oktoberfest in Munich
Earlier than attending, listed below are a number of vital issues to learn about attending Oktoberfest.
Associated learn: Prime Issues to See and Do – The Better of Munich
Leder Hosens and Dirndls
Dirndls, for ladies, and lederhosen for males and a few girls, make up Munich’s Oktoberfest trachten, or conventional costumes, and 90% of revelers within the beer halls can be sporting some sort of Oktoberfest dirndl or lederhosen.
The outfits aren’t obligatory however they’ll undoubtedly improve the pageant expertise, plus, you’ll get some good photos for mum’s fridge.
No dancing on the tables
The beer halls can be pumping with power, and many festival-goers can be standing up on their chairs as they Prost! Be aware to not take that further step up onto the tables, although; safety is on the lookout for any excuse to clear some house for people who didn’t handle to snap a seat and also you’ll be kicked out of the corridor.
On that be aware: No smoking within the beer halls.
No desk, no service
Within the Oktoberfest beer halls you’ll be able to’t get served except you could have a desk, and likewise, all orders should undergo the beer maids and waiters. This is the reason it’s so vital to depart a wholesome tip, or else you threat discovering your self craving and parched, stranded by the beer maids.
Money solely!
The stunning servers aren’t going to be carrying a tap-and-go so that you can purchase your drinks, so be sure to’ve acquired loads of money and alter readily available earlier than heading inside.
Keep away from the Kotzhügel
Translation: Puke Hill.
No, we’re not kidding, there’s an notorious spot on the pageant grounds the place the overly-intoxicated collect to go out, puke and get better. Tempo your self, take care of your mates, and once they start to wander towards the Kotzhügel, kind them out with a dose of Wiesn Koks.
Wiesn Koks
Aka, Oktoberfest Coke, is a authorized substance that has turn into a practice at Oktoberfest.
Often known as Wiesn Pulver or Bavarian Coke, the white powder is manufactured from glucose and menthol and is bought in glass bottles, doing nothing greater than clearing your nostril, perhaps, however aiming to chop via the drunken haze sufficient so that you can get your bearings (and hopefully hold you away from Puke Hill).
The Beer Halls
Consuming kicks off at 10 AM every day, and with 16 beer halls to select from, you’ll be prone to snag a desk when you arrive when the bar opens. The halls are individually owned by beer firms, from Paulaner Festzelt that holds a whopping 10,900 folks, to Hacker-Festzelt which boasts indoor decorations that appear to be the within of a storybook, these areas are the place you’ll have the very best social gathering of your life.
Bars shut, music cuts out at 10:30 pm each night time, and the grounds shut at 11:30 pm.
The meals
The Germans know that once you drink beer by the liter it’s essential to ensure that your abdomen is lined with hearty meals, and that’s precisely what Oktoberfest meals is: meals that has been perfected over generations to fill you up with all of the salty, fatty, (often) meaty goodness it’s essential to survive a marathon beer consuming session.
Schweinshaxe (pork knuckles), käsespätzle (tacky pasta), all of the German sausages your coronary heart needs, or perhaps a super-salty pretzel the dimensions of your head – chew your meals nicely, in case you find yourself on the Kotzhügel later.
The climate
It’s difficult to select what the climate can be doing throughout this time of 12 months in Munich, so it’s finest to double-check the forecast proper earlier than you set off, and even then, put together for all the pieces.
You could possibly be spending the day absorbing the sunshine then want you had thermals come dusk. That is the time of 12 months when the recent summer time bleeds into Munich’s lengthy, chilly winter, so the times are somewhat confused as to which temperature they need to current us. Whatever the climate, it’s a whale of a time, rain, hail or shine (nevertheless it’s finest to be ready, particularly when you’re tenting!).
The primary pour
On the opening Saturday of Oktoberfest, the mayor of Munich will faucet the primary keg at noon, and from thenceforth, the beers will movement. Listening to all of the beer halls and the 10s of 1000s of individuals in them roaring in anticipation for the primary beer is a goosebumps second.
Witnessing the primary pour isn’t simple, although: to be part of this second, you’ll need to arrive on the beer halls tremendous early, like 8 am, to get right into a beer corridor and safe a desk.
Get into the beer halls early!
On the busy weekend days, it’s vital to reach early, round 10 am (aside from opening day, see above), to safe a desk. If you happen to miss the morning desk seize, you’ll be able to strive your luck simply after lunch, because the beer halls are being flushed out by safety below the guise of clearing out those that have had an excessive amount of to drink (actually, it’s only a solution to clear everybody out for brand spanking new friends to have their flip).
It’s not unusual to see savvy Festers working from door to door on the beer halls because the safety strategically opens doorways and lets a sure variety of folks in every.
Nevertheless, when you do come midweek, you may get away with arriving on the beer halls at any time of the day or night time (earlier than 10 pm) and discover a desk moderately simply. And don’t fear – this doesn’t imply that the beer halls are empty, even when it’s not busy the beer halls are completely heaving with probably the most enjoyable folks you’ve ever shared a beer with.

When is Oktoberfest in Munich?
Oktoberfest begins at noon on the second final Saturday of September and continues till the primary Sunday of October after October third (German Reunification Day). Which means that two of the three weekends are in September – so we don’t thoughts when you name it “Septemberfest” (nevertheless it doesn’t have the identical ring to it).
The unique Oktoberfest, a celebration of a royal wedding ceremony, was in October, and that’s the way it remained for some time earlier than the organisers shifted it a few weeks ahead to make the most of the higher September climate.
Oktoberfest can’t end earlier than German Reunification Day (Or German Unity Day), which falls on the third of October, that means that the ultimate weekend of the pageant aligns with a protracted weekend. This provides locals and Germans from throughout the nation a chance to come back to Munich and the Oktoberfest and take full benefit of the nationwide vacation.
The ultimate weekend is ideal for guests trying to be immersed within the native tradition (although there are actually thousands and thousands who do come this weekend from all around the world, so don’t anticipate to be the lone foreigner surrounded by Germans).
An Insider’s Hack for Oktoberfest
If you happen to come to Munich from Monday to Thursday, you’re in for the deal with of being there with method fewer vacationers. This implies discovering a desk can be a lot simpler, you’ll be served extra rapidly and sometimes, and also you’ll be capable of hit the beer halls at any time of day or night time. You’ll be able to simply hop between beer halls, making an attempt the entire completely different flavours on provide in every (completely different beers, completely different bands, completely different meals, completely different crowd—simply completely different vibes).

How A lot Does Oktoberfest Price?
The excellent news is that entry into the pageant is free, so no matter how a lot cash you’re trying to spend on the day, it’s assured that you just’ll give you the option to have a look round. It’s when the consuming is available in that issues get a bit expensive (which, let’s be actual – everybody’s right here for the beer).
Steins common out at round €14, and an important a part of the service inside the beer halls is tipping your server; no suggestions and it is going to be tough to get them to come back again and serve up a second spherical, which bumps up the worth to round €20 per beer. Fortunately, steins maintain a strong litre of maybe probably the most scrumptious beer you’ll ever style, that isn’t solely impurity free (German purity regulation permits solely water, barley, hops and malt to be added to beer), however rattling sturdy too, coming in at 6% and up.
Certainly one of these beers could have you properly buzzed, two will see you dancing on tables, and something after three, however earlier than 5, is the place the magic occurs – magic that you just most likely gained’t keep in mind.
Carnival rides price €3.50 – €12.50, and while they aren’t a necessity, they’re a ton of enjoyable: the Ferris wheel will provide you with views of your entire pageant under, and there’s nothing fairly like zooming round on the dodgems once you’re 4 steins deep. Additionally, each Tuesday, all rides in Oktoberfest are half worth—can your abdomen deal with a rollercoaster with a stomach stuffed with beer?
One other price to be factored in is the worth of the apparel; you’re going to need to don your lederhosen and dirndls or threat protruding like a sore thumb. As you’ll be able to think about, the price of the standard garb varies relying on the place they’re bought, so store round earlier than you head off.
In relation to budgets, the place you keep for Oktoberfest can have a giant bearing in your fortunes. We advocate tenting choices to save lots of your dosh when you’re on the grounds and in addition to remain inside the thick of the social gathering—there are budget-friendly choices accessible not too removed from the pageant that proceed the social gathering after the beer halls shut for the night time.

Fortunately, the pageant is positioned smack-bang within the centre of Munich on the Theresienwiese – roughly 100 acres of free house positioned in the midst of Munich’s Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt district – so when you’re in Munich, you’re sorted.
Attending to the Bavarian capital is the place the injury to your checking account may happen. If you happen to’re already within the EU, strive wanting into budget-friendly journey choices provided by firms that work carefully with the pageant and save your cash for the steins.

Oktoberfest After Occasion
It’s 11:30 pm, you’re sufficiently free from a day stuffed with consuming, and the beer halls have closed – don’t quit on the social gathering simply but. There are an array of nightclubs that a big proportion of pageant goers can be making their solution to, however right here’s a sizzling tip: there are a number of journey firms that provide after-party choices as soon as the faucets have been turned off on the Theresienwiese, the place dwell music runs nicely into the morning.
Check out a few of the all-inclusive packages which are up for provide, so that you’ve acquired a vacation spot apart from a lonely lodge mattress on the finish of the night time.
E book an Oktoberfest Lodging Bundle
Stoke Journey presents an unparalleled Oktoberfest expertise with their Stoketoberfest, Munich’s premier budget-friendly and party-centric lodging. Friends can get pleasure from non-public tents inside Munich’s metropolis limits, avoiding crowded hostels and simply accessing the camp through public transport.
Every bundle features a cooked brunch with bottomless mimosas. Lodging choices vary from solo occupancy tents (accessible for a small surcharge) to straightforward twin-share tents, group tents for six to eight folks, and Consolation Plus choices for one to 4 folks.
Stoketoberfest isn’t just a spot to sleep however a steady social gathering that includes dwell bands, DJs, and an open bar with limitless beer and sangria. Friends can have interaction in traditional consuming video games like flip cup and beer pong or take a spin on the notorious Wheel of Misfortune. The colourful dance flooring is lively day and night time, and an onsite retailer presents conventional Oktoberfest outfits – dirndls and lederhosen.
Worth: From €65 / Per Particular person Per Evening
Right here’s what’s included:
- Lodging in pre-erected twin-share tents with tenting mattresses and sleeping luggage (consolation plus, solo tents, and group tent upgrades accessible)
- Brunch with bottomless mimosas each morning
- World-famous Stoketoberfest campsite events with dwell bands, DJs, consuming video games, and 1000’s of social gathering animals from all around the world
€15 all-you-can-drink beer, wine, and sangria bar - Guides to take you to Oktoberfest and make sure you’re having the very best time
- Conventional German lederhosen and dirndls retailer onsite
- Munich’s greatest group of beer lovers – a global crowd of like-minded vacationers, college students, and expats
- Mix with our non-public social gathering bus packages from the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, or Poland