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How long does Oktoberfest last? Oktoberfest: history of the holiday and interesting facts. Oktoberfest is a holiday for everyone - both rich and poor

26.04.2020

Germany, Munich

Oktoberfest: bright photos and videos, detailed description and reviews about the 2020 Oktoberfest event.

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There is hardly a beer festival in the world more popular than Oktoberfest, which has been held in Munich on Terezin Meadow for more than 200 years. Each year, approximately 6 million visitors flock to the city to sample special festival beers from the city's best breweries. The foamy drink is distinguished by a pronounced malt taste due to long aging and a strength of 5.8 to 6.3%, and it is produced only at this time of year.

Only Munich breweries were, are and will be allowed to participate in the festival.

A little history

The festival was first held when Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Theresa, after whom the meadow where the festival takes place is named. This happened in October 1810, the event became an annual event, and the name Oktoberfest was assigned to it. The dates have gradually moved to warmer, sunnier September, but the two-week festival traditionally spans the first weekend of October.

For 200 years, the holiday was canceled only a few times and only for very serious reasons. good reasons: due to the cholera epidemic, the Prussian-Austrian and Franco-Prussian wars, the First and Second World Wars and hyperinflation in Germany in 1923-1924. For a long time Oktoberfest was an event for the residents of Bavaria and the surrounding areas of Germany. Only since 1960, tourists from different parts of the world began to come to it, and now it is one of the most visited festivals in the world and the largest folk festival.

Munich Oktoberfest

How is Oktoberfest going?

Traditionally, Oktoberfest begins on Saturday with a procession of tent owners. Led by the mayor of Munich, the procession on festive carts with barrels of beer placed on them and accompanied by orchestras passes through the city center and ends at Theresa’s meadow. At exactly noon, 12 shots are fired into the sky from a cannon, and in the Schottenhamel-Festzelt tent, the current mayor of Munich drives a tap into the first barrel - Oktoberfest is open! The next day, on the first Sunday of the holiday, a costume procession and a parade of riflemen take place. About 8 thousand people dressed in historical and national costumes, along with orchestras and decorated teams, march from the Bavarian parliament building to Theresa's Meadow. The costumed procession and the ceremonial knocking of the cork from the first barrel are relatively new traditions; they appeared only in 1950.

The holiday lasts just over two weeks, during which time 14 large (with a capacity of 10 thousand people) and 15 small beer tents (with a capacity of 1000 people) are built on Teresa’s meadow.

Life is seething inside the tents - fragile-looking waitresses are serving 12-liter mugs of beer at a time, festival guests are devouring fried chicken and pork sausages by both cheeks, beer is flowing like a river, the music is thundering, and the noisy, cheerful crowd does not stop for a minute. Often, at one table or at another, someone gets up and, to the applause of those around them, drinks a liter of beer in one fell swoop, while others empty their mugs at speed.

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The festival has a lot of entertainment: carousels, breathtaking roller coasters, a 50-meter Ferris wheel, a free-fall simulation tower. You can periodically take a break from tasting and just take a walk, choose souvenirs, make new acquaintances, ride one of the attractions or watch a flea circus. Otherwise, there is a great chance that if you drink too much, you will end up in the caring hands of doctors and volunteer paramedics serving the festival. In German there is even a special name for those who do not know the measure: Bierleichen - beer corpse.

Every Tuesday is a family day with significant discounts on food and attractions. There are special rooms for children, and for the convenience of parents there are parking lots for strollers and microwave ovens where you can warm up the food. baby food. Children under 6 years old can be taken to the holiday on other days, but they must leave the beer tents before 20:00.

Oktoberfest 2017

Oktoberfest 2017 opens on Saturday 16th September with an official tapping ceremony at the Schottenhamel tent at 12:00. On this day it is better to arrive early - good places occupied already at 9:00. On Sunday, September 17th at 10:00 a.m. the costume parade will begin. Other significant events are the traditional religious mass on September 21 at 10:00 and the brass band concert on September 29 at 11:00. The festival will last until October 3: at midnight it will end with a fireworks display at the Bavarian monument.

In 2017, prices at Oktoberfest increased slightly, especially for non-smoking alcoholic drinks. A liter of beer will cost about 11 EUR, and lemonade and mineral water- even more. Prices are fixed, you can study them at the office. event website (in English).

New attractions will appear: Drifting Coaster - drifting gondolas, Voodoo Jumper - jumping with a complete feeling of weightlessness, XXL Racer, raising to a height of 55 m, Jules Vernes Tower - raising even higher: 70 m at a speed of 65 km/h. For those who are not looking for thrills, the Oide Wiesn is a good option - a ride in a 70-year-old carriage among picturesque lawns with goats, horses and piglets. Every 4 years, an agricultural exhibition is held in parallel at Terezin Meadow, and it will be held this year as well.

On the opening day, beer tents will be open from 12:00 to 22:30, at other times: on weekdays - from 10:00 to 22:30, on Saturday and Sunday - from 9:00 to 22:30. Attractions, food stalls - from 10:00 to midnight. All tents are free to enter, but capacity is limited so you'll need to arrive early or make reservations in advance. Detailed information - at the office. website. Once the tents are full they are closed, usually before noon even on weekdays.

Having reached Munich, you need to get to Theresienwiese, located in the very center of the city. From the airport, the most convenient way is to take the S8 train to the Hackerbrucke station, from which it is a 10-minute walk to the festival site. From the train and bus stations in the center of Munich, Theresienwiese is a 15-minute walk away. If you are too lazy to walk, you can take the metro one stop (line U4).

Hotels are predictably crowded during Oktoberfest. For unpretentious guests, every year Oktoberfest All Inclusive Camping is set up 10 km from the city center: tents, marquees and sleeping bags; common amenities. Not very comfortable, but fun and cheap. There is a relaxation area and a bar where beer lovers make noise and enjoy life around the clock. A tent for two will cost 2000 EUR for the entire festival period. In any hotel or even hostel, prices for the festival dates will be significantly higher.

What beer lover would not refuse to visit a place where this drink does not flow like a river, but falls like a waterfall on the heads of the lucky ones and sweeps them off the road of sobriety into the abyss of sweet beer fun?

O bliss! Such a place exists. And it is not in a fairy-tale kingdom, not in the thirtieth kingdom. Just a 3 hour plane ride and you are in the right place. Yes, yes, we are talking about the famous Oktoberfest holiday in Germany.

Today we will talk specifically about Oktoberfest, which takes place in Munich. It is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest holiday. Therefore, it is not surprising that during the festival, which takes place in Teresa’s meadow in September-October for 200 years, there are about 7 million people

The festival took place for the first time on October 12, 1810. The reason for the holiday was the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Theresa of Saxony-Hildburghais, after whom the meadow was named. Since then, Oktoberfest has been held every year with the exception of several unlucky years for Germany - 1813 due to the Napoleonic Wars, 1854, 1857 due to the cholera epidemic, 1866 due to the Prussian-Austrian War, 1870 due to the Franco-Austrian War. Prussian War.

Dates in 2019

Since 1950, Oktoberfest has traditionally opened on the third Saturday in September.

Hurry up to buy air tickets at a good price

Now every self-respecting lover of a foamy drink dreams of attending this festival. Therefore, experienced tourists who have drunk more than one mug of Munich beer know what to book hotels And air tickets it is necessary in advance. After all, if you don’t take care of wings and a roof over your head in time, you may not get to the holiday, and the trip will have to be postponed until next year. Usually by mid-summer there are no more hotel rooms and you have to spend the night in neighboring cities.

10 interesting facts about Oktoberfest

1. The opening of the holiday begins with the opening of the barrel by the mayor. Everyone excitedly calculates how many blows the burgomaster will need to open the barrel. Best result visited Mayor Christian Udde in 2006. He only needed one hit. And burgomaster Thomas Wimmer in 1650 was able to uncork the barrel only 19 times. By the way, this was the first year of the tradition of uncorking the barrel. This is probably why he worked for a long time - he still didn’t have enough experience.

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2. According to Oktoberfest rules, only Munich breweries can participate in the festival. Therefore, only local beers are bottled at the festival, represented by breweries such as Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu, Augustiner, Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu and Löwenbräu. Beer must be brewed in accordance with the Munich Beer Purity Law of 1487 and the German Beer Purity Law of 1516.

3. Compliance with the rules is monitored by special people “Verein gegen betrügerisches Einschenken”. They control underfilling of liter mugs of beer. During the two weeks of the festival, an average of 7 million liters of beer are drunk. In addition to beer, 600 thousand sausages and fried chickens, 84 spit-roasted oxen and 65 thousand pork knuckles are eaten.

4. A little history. In 1885, Oktoberfest was electrified. Interestingly, this work was carried out by the company of Albert Einstein’s father. Albert Einstein himself also participated in the process and screwed in light bulbs in one of the tents. Maybe since then, having seen enough of the drunken fun, he became an opponent of drinking beer. He didn’t drink himself and told others that beer makes people stupid. I think that in those distant times, some of the students defied the genius, declaring that his special theory of relativity could not be understood without half a liter.

5. If you don’t want to stand in a long line waiting for a free table, book your seats in advance. Tents are set up in the meadow especially for the holiday: 14 large and 21 small.

Which party tent to choose?

  • Hippodrome. 3200 people inside. Spaten beer is on tap. This is where the main youth celebrations take place and where all the “Oktoberfest romances” are born.
  • Armbrustschützen. 5830 seats inside. Pauliner beer is on tap. Crossbowmen have competed in this tent since 1895. Shooting stands are set up for competitions.
  • Hofbräu Festhalle. 6698 people inside. The most famous tent, which is installed by the famous Munich beer hall Hofbraeuhaus. It is constantly occupied by the Americans and Australians.
  • Hacker. 6950 people inside. Hacker-Pschorr beer is on tap. The embodiment of “Bavarian heaven on earth” - beer flows like a river, lovely girls in national costumes, live music and performances of rock bands every evening.
  • Schottenhamel. 6000 people. Spaten beer is on tap. The place where Oktoberfest starts. It is here that the Mayor of Munich begins the celebration to the cherished cries of the crowd “O’zapft is!” - “Uncorked!”
  • Winzerer Fähndl. 8450 people. Pauliner beer is on tap. The most atmospheric tent. This is where most festival participants linger for a long time and sing songs in different languages.
  • Schützen-Festzelt. 4300 people. Löwenbräu beer is on tap. This place is famous not so much for beer as for Bavarian-style suckling pig baked in beer sauce, which is served only here.
  • Käfer's Wies'n-Schänke. 1000 people. Pauliner beer is poured. Celebrities walk here and the most delicious duck baked according to a special recipe is served. The tent closes later than everyone else - at one o'clock in the morning.
  • Weinzelt. 1900 people inside. Paulaner beer is bottled, Nymphenburg Sektkellerei. The only wine tent at the beer festival. The bar has 15 types of wine, not counting sparkling and champagne.
  • Lowenbrau. 5700 people. Löwenbräu beer is on tap. Fans of the Munich football team 1860 Munich gather here. This is the place for thrill seekers.
  • Braurosl. 6200 people. Hacker-Pschorr beer is on tap. The most musical tent of the festival. During the day there are yodelers singing here, and in the evening there are performers of traditional Tyrolean songs.
  • Augustiner-Festhalle. 6300 people inside. Augustiner beer is on tap. This tent hosts a so-called “children's day” every Tuesday, when beer is sold at reduced prices.
  • Ochsenbraterei. 5900 people. Spaten beer is on tap. Immediately before entering this tent, a bull is roasted on a huge skewer. And it’s clear why: there is an abundance of meat dishes on the menu.
  • Fischer Vroni. 3080 people. Augustiner-Bräu beer is bottled. For those who are not interested in pork knee and chicken wings, go here. Here, fried fish is served with beer: pike, trout, whitefish and others.

6. After drinking beer, it's time to move on to the attractions. Them at the festival big choice. From traditional carousels, which have been around for over eighty years, to modern designs like roller coasters.

7. Where there is beer, there are also... “beer corpses.” This is certainly a problem at the festival. This is especially true for young people who are not ready to buy quite expensive beer (the price of a liter starts from 8 euros). As a result, they try to bring inexpensive and strong alcoholic drinks with them. The results are visible. Here and there you can see creatively lying bodies.

8. At first it seems that the festival is like a mass drinking party. In fact, it has nothing to do with such festivities as our Day of the Paratroopers. The police strictly maintain order, smoking inside the tents is prohibited (there are specially designated areas for this), and the “beer corpses” are brought to life by the Red Cross service. In addition, the system of dry toilets has been carefully adjusted and thought out. There are 1,800 toilets on the Oktoberfest grounds, many of which are accessible for the disabled.

9. Who wouldn't want to receive a souvenir from such a festival? Beer mug theft is common at Oktoberfest. It has even become a sport. There are souvenir tents on the territory where they sell exactly the same mugs, but stealing and getting adrenaline is probably more interesting for the participants)

10. The Germans strictly honor their traditions. Often in hotels you can see workers in national clothes. Well, at the festival God himself ordered us to dress in national costumes. For men, the costume consists of a felt hat decorated with pheasant feathers and a boar hair tassel, a plain shirt, “Lederhosen” - leather work shorts, knee socks and leather boots. Girls wear colorful scarves, a blouse, sometimes with a very deep neckline, a bodice, a wide skirt with an apron, leather shoes with a strap and heeled heels, which are made especially for dancing.

Where to stay in Munich

Not only Germans, but also tourists from all over the world come to the holiday. Make arrangements in advance for accommodation during Oktoberfest. Many people start booking in the spring.

And it was simply a sin not to visit Oktoberfest in the first year of my stay in this city, because it is a symbol of Munich and the whole of Bavaria (and for some, the whole of Germany), like the Eiffel Tower for Paris, and the canals for Venice.

I heard a lot of reviews about this beer festival - from enthusiastic to extremely negative, from “you have to go there at least once in your life” to “this is the worst thing that happened in my life.” One thing united all eyewitnesses - they did not remain indifferent to Oktoberfest.

Oktoberfest. View of the Paulaner tent

So, naturally, it’s better to see once than to hear many times, so in the first week of the festival, we went there too.

A little history of Oktoberfest

The first time the festival took place more than two centuries ago - back in 1810, and then it was... a wedding. Yes, the first Oktoberfest was precisely a wedding celebration - it was organized for his subjects by the local ruler Ludwig I in honor of his marriage to Princess Theresa. For this reason, by the way, the location of Oktoberfest is called “Theresienwiese” (“Theresienwiese”), and the Bavarians call the holiday “Wiesn” (“Meadow”). On the signs in the subway and on the streets of Munich it is written not “Oktoberfest”, but “Wiesn”.

Apparently, then, in 1810, the wedding celebration was a success, because Ludwig and Teresa began to hold it annually, the holiday became a tradition of the Bavarians and was supplemented with new features - there were attractions, tents with sweets, a costumed procession of brewers on the first Sunday of the festival and, of course, beer halls tents of the best breweries in Germany.

Oktoberfest through our eyes. How it was

It seems that you can get to Teresa's Meadow during the festival without a navigator - you just need to follow where the crowds of people in national German costumes are heading. A lot of people, a lot of people, at any time of the day.

Restaurant at the very entrance to Oktoberfest (away from the tents)

At the entrance you are inspected by security and there are metal detectors. Immediately after security you are surrounded a large number of attractions - carousels, roller coasters different types, a room of fear, a shooting gallery...Among all these structures there are tents with gingerbread and other sweets. In general, at first, Oktoberfest is more reminiscent of Disneyland than the world's main drinking party.

Rides at Oktoberfest

Shooting gallery at Oktoberfest. Everyone at the festival, both old and young, wears national Bavarian costumes

The very first (and, as it seemed to me, the most popular) are Löwenbräu and Paulaner.

Tent tower Löwenbräu (in Russian it is correctly pronounced not as we are used to “Löwenbrau”, but “Löwenbrau”)

Each tent has its own biergarten - that is, tables and benches that stand outside. Inside the tents, of course, it is quite difficult to sit without prior reservation (although you can if you come during the day), but in the biergartens - please, there is no advance reservation here, you just go through and sit in an empty seat.

Inside the Löwenbräu tent. As you can see, there are not many people there during the day

The waitresses in each tent, as expected - girls in national costumes, with curvy beautiful shapes, which deftly carry 12 liter mugs at a time. It's hard to imagine how big it is exercise stress, because they have to run like this without a break from 9:00 to 23:00.

National live music plays inside the tents, and on the street, between the tents, attractions and shops - simply popular music (not German, but world dance hits that are relevant during the holiday).

Löwenbräu and Paulaner are followed by the Augustiner and Spaten tents, even further - Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu (the largest - up to 10,000 people can sit here at the same time) - a total of 6 breweries. They are the ones who have the exclusive right to sell beer at Oktoberfest; others are not allowed here.

Besides beautiful design tents (the towers with logos alone are worth it), breweries attract attention and lure visitors in another way - colorful horse-drawn carts with branded barrels drive around the entire festival area.

Paulaner cart

The carts are beautiful and authentic, so you have to stand in line to take a photo in front of them. The horses are also not deprived of attention - everyone reaches out to stroke their manes, touch their festive equipment and also take photos.

This beauty carries barrels at Oktoberfest

When we arrived at Oktoberfest, it was about 2:00 pm and the atmosphere was like a nice family fair, albeit with beer tents, and a lot of children were running along the rides different ages, but towards evening both the audience and the whole atmosphere began to change dramatically - more young people appeared, the tents began to fill up, and the attractions began to empty. The holiday turned into exactly that wild Oktoberfest, about which there are almost legends - a lot of beer, a lot of those who drank this beer, their crazy dances and songs, drunken laughter, the characteristic smell of spilled beer here and there.

The conclusion from here is simple - Oktoberfest is very diverse, in different time day, he provides everything for everyone - sweets and attractions for families and quiet people, a lot of alcohol, dancing and flirting - for those who come here to have a blast. You just need to choose what you want, and rumors that everyone at the festival is not on their feet 24/7 are greatly exaggerated.

What and how much does it cost at Oktoberfest?

The prices here, of course, are hellish. First of all, for beer - a liter mug in the Pulliner tent, for example, costs 10.90 euros. Prices are approximately the same in other tents. This is 5 times more expensive than a liter of the same beer bought in a Munich store.

Gingerbread is also quite expensive, from 3.5 to 15 euros (for 3.5 it will be quite small).

Reserved table in a tent

Attractions cost an average of 8 euros per adult.

And keep in mind that cash is a priority at Oktoberfest; cards are almost never accepted here (because of this, I didn’t get on the Ferris wheel :)

The popularity of the festival affects not only the cost of drinks and souvenirs on its territory, but also more globally - during the days of Oktoberfest, housing rentals in Munich and prices for air tickets both to and from the city in any direction skyrocket. For example, during the festival, a ticket for a direct flight “Munich-Moscow” costs 11,000 rubles, and a week after the end of the holiday it costs about 7,000 rubles.

Some more facts about Oktoberfest

  • Oktoberfest is a dating place, a sort of offline Tinder. A lot of married couples, European and not only, met here over a glass of foam.
  • Rumor has it that in the first week of Oktoberfest, many special kind of Italians come here (from the villages of Northern Italy), who, so to speak, are very loving and persistent, and can begin to actively pester a girl, even if she is with a companion. As a result, there are often fights.
  • Since the end of the 19th century, the festival has been held not in October, but in September - it was moved a few weeks earlier than it was originally held, because the weather in Bavaria at the end of September is much better than in mid-October.
  • At Oktoberfest, many people go crazy - people get drunk to the point of unconsciousness. The result is that during the 16 days of one festival, about 500 annually end up in intensive care with alcohol poisoning.
  • There really are a lot of people coming - when we were looking for housing back in July, we checked out of curiosity - as of October, even then there was not a single available apartment/room on Airbnb closer than 70 km from Munich. So, if you are planning to visit this beer festival, book your accommodation well in advance. The same applies to seats at tables in tents - they can also be reserved online to be sure that you will definitely be seated.
  • Not only waitresses, but also many festival guests (regardless of their nationality) come to the festival in traditional Bavarian clothes. A women's Bavarian dress with ruffles that so seductively reveals the chest is called a “dirndl”. And almost every girl here wears such clothes - all that remains is to be happy for the male guests of the festival :) I noticed that people in national costumes look very funny, but at the same time with acid-colored hair and tattoos all over their bodies - you get such a mix of tradition and modernity.
  • A few more words about the dirndl. In Germany there is a real cult of the national costume, it is not perceived as something from the past (like a sundress in Russia), but has become part of the country’s modern fashion industry - there are fashion designers and boutiques that specialize only in dirndls, new collections are released every season, shows are held and fashion shooting.

Folk costume in Germany is not a relic, but something stylish, sexy and always relevant. These dresses are worn not only at Oktoberfest, but also just “out” - to a restaurant, bar, nightclub. A dirndl costs on average from 60 to 300 euros (of course, there are exclusive models that are more expensive).

Conclusion

In 2019, Oktoberfest will take place from September 21 to October 6. The detailed program of the festival can be viewed on it. And if they ask me if I recommend coming here, then I will answer that yes, I certainly do, because this holiday is so original, so bright and cheerful that here you can really just relax or “walk your demons” having a blast. And if you combine the fun of Oktoberfest with other things like a trip to the autumn Bavarian Alps, which are just an hour's drive from Munich, it will be an unforgettable adventure.

Oktoberfest, a unique beer festival accompanied by fun folk festivities and costumed processions, has been held annually in Munich for over 200 years. Within 14-16 days, about six million guests manage to visit the holiday, which is four times the number of residents of the capital of Bavaria.

The territory of the huge Teresa meadow, whose name in German sounds like Theresienwiese, is 42 hectares. It is located in the center of Munich, next to the main train station and underground stations. The period of the festival is chosen taking into account that the last day of public festivities falls on an October Sunday or on German Unification Day - October 3.

Holding Oktoberfest

On the opening day, the traditional procession of festival participants begins at 10:45. Dressed in traditional Bavarian attire, the tent owners sit on colorful floats loaded with beer barrels and head through the streets of Munich towards the Theresienwiese. Folklore music, songs and welcoming cries of guests sound.

At 12:00, the mayor of Munich knocks the cork out of the first barrel and exclaims “O’Zapft is!”, which is perceived as “Pour it in!” From this moment on, the festival is considered open, and beer begins to be poured in all tents and open areas.

The next day, starting at 10:00, you can see a colorful costume procession, in which several thousand people take part. The column, accompanied by brass bands, moves through the center of Munich towards Theresa Meadow.

Both Tuesdays until 19:00 are reserved for family days. At this time, tempting discounts are offered for parents with children.

On the first Thursday at 10:00 a service is held at which the names of Oktoberfest participants who have passed on to another world are remembered. After the service, the first communion and baptism of the children of the festival organizers and workers take place.

On the second Sunday of the celebrations at 11:00, guests are invited to attend a unique concert for free. Brass band musicians and drummers dressed in Bavarian folk costumes show their skills

On the final day of the holiday at 12:00, a spectacular fireworks display of hand-held mortars begins at the foot of the Bavarian statue. At exactly 11:30 p.m., Oktoberfest closes until next year.

Visiting the festival

Like any other festival that lasts more than one week, Oktoberfest has both noisy and relatively quiet times. On opening and closing days, as well as on weekends, it is crowded and bustling. The quietest period is considered to be until 15:00 on weekdays and until 18:00 on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. During these hours there are practically no queues, and free places in the tents can be found without much difficulty.

Oktoberfest beer

Traditionally, Munich brewers take part in the festival. Each tent sells certain brands of beer, specially brewed for the festivities. The general name of the foamy drink is Oktoberfestbier.

Brands

The festival presents products from six breweries.

Augustiner. The oldest Munich brewery was founded in the first half of the 14th century at the monastery of the same name. 6% festival beer is bottled in the Augustiner-Festhalle and Fischer-Vroni tents.

Hacker Pschorr. Production has been known since the beginning of the 15th century, but the impetus for development was received only in the 18th century, under Maria Theresa Hacker and Joseph Pschorr. The beer presented at Oktoberfest is characterized by the lowest strength - 5.8%. The product can be tried in the Hacker-Festzelt and Pschorr-Bräurosl tents.

Hofbräu. The plant was founded at the end of the 16th century by Duke Wilhelm of Bavaria in the 5th century. as a court brewery. Nationalized in the 19th century. The beer at the festival is the strongest - 6.3%. Served only in one large tent - Hofbräuzelt.

Lowenbrau. The history of the “lion” brand can be traced back to the end of the 14th century, but popularity came only in the 19th century, when the enterprising Georg Brey took over the company. Today Löwenbräu is part of the transnational Belgian company InBev. Oktoberfestbier has an ABV of 6.1% and is served in the Schützen-Festzelt and Löwenbräu-Festhalle tents.

Paulaner. The brewery has been known since the first half of the 17th century. It was founded by the monks of the mendicant order of the Minims (German - Orden Paulaner) for their own needs. At the beginning of the 19th century, the brewer Zacherl bought the company, after which it began to develop. Festival beer has an ABV of 6%. It is presented in three tents - Armbrustschützenzelt, Winzerer Fähndl and Käfer’s Wies’n Schänke.

Spaten Franziskaner. The period of foundation is the end of the 14th century. At the beginning of the 19th century, the plant came into the possession of the Seldmeier family. Today the brand is part of the InBev concern. Oktoberfest beer has an ABV of 5.9%. The foamy drink is served in the Marstall, Schottenhamel, Ochsenbraterei (Spatenbräu-Festhalle) tents.

Oktoberfestbier beer prices are slowly but surely creeping up. From 2002 to 2016, the cost of a liter mug increased from 6.30-6.80 € to 10.40-10.70 €.

Tickets for Oktoberfest 2020

You can get to the beer festival site and enter the tents completely free of charge. But it should be taken into account that the number of tables in the tents is limited, so in the evenings, especially on weekends, almost all of them are crowded before 18:00. Reserving a table for 10 people, indicating the exact date and time of your visit, will help you guarantee that you will be in one or another tent.

Reservations for places in large tents begin several months before the opening of the festival, most often in January.

You can secure a guaranteed place on the official website of the selected tent if certain conditions are met. It consists of the need to purchase a voucher min for 20-80 euros, depending on the tent, set of dishes and time of visit. When calculating for a festive lunch/dinner, the prepayment amount is taken into account.

The only entertainment area with an entrance fee is Oide Wiesn (translated as old meadow). A ticket costs 3 euros, and rides on historical attractions cost only 1 euro. There are beer tents here, which are more free compared to the central alley, concerts are held and festival beauty queens are chosen.

Oktoberfest tents

On the territory of Theresienwiese there are: 17 large tents and 21 small pavilions. Beer is only available to those sitting at the table. During peak times (evenings and weekends) the tents become crowded and close, so it is unlikely that you will be able to get inside without a voucher. You can try your luck either until 15:00 on weekdays, or early in the morning on Saturday-Sunday. Another option involves visiting open areas (so-called beer gardens). It is less colorful here, but also festive and fun.

Large tents

The old-timers on the Theresienwiese are the Schottenhamel and Schützenfestzelt tents. They appeared in 1867 as small beer shops with several dozen seats. The festival starts in Schottenhamel. It is here that at 12:00 the first Oktoberfest barrel is opened by the current mayor of Munich and the first glass of the foamy drink is drunk. The tent serves a total of 10,000 people - 6,000 inside the tent and 4,000 outside.

Characteristic features of the Schützenfestzelt include a large shooting range for amateur shooters and the serving of Bavarian pig in beer sauce with cabbage. The capacity of the tent is more than 5100 people. Seats outside the pavilion - 1400.

The largest in terms of capacity is the Hofbräu-Festzelt tent, opened in 1955. It is characterized by reasonable prices, an international presence and bunches of hops hanging everywhere. Under the roof of the tent there can be 6898 guests at the same time, and outside it - 3022 beer lovers.

The smallest of the 17 tents is the cozy Käfers Wiesn-Schänke. It seats only 1,000 people, but there are another 1,900 seats outside. A special feature of the tent is its later closure.

Features of other large tents:

  • Herzkasperl-Festzelt - exciting music and cultural programmes;
  • The Hofbräu-Festzelt is the only tent with a platform directly in front of the music podium;
  • Kafer Wiesn-Schänke — original design the tent and interior creates the feeling of being on an alpine farm;
  • Kufflers Weinzelt - wine tent;
  • Löwenbräu - a five-meter lion at the entrance attracts the attention of guests with its roar. A favorite place for fans of the Munich football club;
  • Marstall Festzelt - unusual interior in Art Nouveau style;
  • Ochsenbraterei - a variety of meat delicacies for lovers of hearty food;
  • Paulaner Festzelt - fast beer pouring and incredible sunset views;
  • Zur Schönheitskönigin - atmosphere of the 1900s, folk singers, every evening a Beauty Queen is chosen among the visitors.

Payment in tents is accepted exclusively in cash in euros or pre-purchased vouchers!

Small tents

The 21 pavilions are not distinguished by brand names. However, Oktoberfest is unthinkable without them. The tents accommodate from 90 to 500 people. In addition to festival beer, they offer traditional Bavarian dishes of veal, poultry and fish. There are sweets on the menu.

Founding history

The first, modest-scale event was initiated by an officer of the Bavarian national guard in October 1810. The idea arose in the process of preparing for the celebration of the wedding of the heir to the Bavarian crown, Louis I, and Theresa, née Princess of Saxe-Hildburghausen. A proposal to organize horse racing in a meadow close to the outskirts of Munich was sent to the newlywed’s father, King Maximilian I of Bavaria. A positive response was received immediately.

October folk festivals have become annual. A break was taken only in those periods when Bavaria had to conduct military operations or fight deadly epidemics.

Oktoberfest in the 1920s: video

Attractions

Antique-style carousels, shooting galleries and other entertainment are located in Oide Wiesn. A separate area features modern attractions:

  • a Ferris wheel 50 m high, from which the Alps can be viewed in clear weather;
  • a roller coaster almost a kilometer long;
  • a tower that gives a feeling of slight dizziness from a free fall from a 70-meter height;
  • a chain carousel that spins thrill-seekers at high altitudes;
  • castle of horrors, etc.

In addition, spectacular acrobatic shows and many other events are held here.

Festival with children

Family days are held every Tuesday. In addition, on the territory of Oktoberfest there is a whole children's area called Familienplatzl. There is also a beer garden, where adults are offered a festival drink and snacks, and children can enjoy children's menu and sweets. You are allowed to bring your own food.

Every day there are show programs for children with animators and puppet shows. The best times to visit the festival with children are weekdays before 17:00. For safety reasons, strollers are prohibited on Saturdays and on other days after 18:00. It is recommended that children wear brightly colored clothing so that they can be easily seen in a crowd.

Children under 6 years of age are not allowed into the beer halls after 18:00. Teenagers under 16 years of age are prohibited from drinking beer.

Opening hours

On weekdays, tents and tents are open from 10 am, and on weekends they open an hour earlier. Establishments close at 11:30 p.m., last beer pour at 10:30 p.m. Snack bars and cafes are open until 23:00.