Munich’s Festival Calendar: Oktoberfest and the Rest of the Year

This guide is for people who have moved to Munich from abroad, with or without children, and want to understand the city’s festival year without guesswork. It explains how the Oktoberfest works, how to plan the key days, and where to find the rest of Munich’s events once the tents come down.

• How the Oktoberfest works
• Key dates for 2027
• Opening hours, bags and getting there
• The Wiesn with children
• The rest of the year
• FAQ

How the Oktoberfest works

Locals rarely say “Oktoberfest”. They call it the Wiesn, after the Theresienwiese, the large open ground in the city where it takes place. According to the city’s official Oktoberfest page, the 192nd Oktoberfest runs from Saturday 18 September to Sunday 3 October 2027. The date follows a fixed rule. The festival starts on the Saturday after 15 September and ends on the first Sunday in October. If 1 or 2 October falls on a Sunday, it is extended up to and including 3 October, which is a public holiday in Germany.

The grounds and the festival tents are free to enter. You pay for what you eat, drink and ride. In 2027 there are 17 large and 21 small festival tents, plus more than 100 fairground rides and stalls. Each tent has its own character. Some are known for brass bands and tradition, others for their evening atmosphere or a particular crowd. The city’s tent profiles tell you which beer each one serves and how many seats it has.

Table reservations are handled directly by the individual tents, not by the city. You do not need one to get in, as every tent has areas and beer gardens where no reservation is required. Be aware, though, that on evenings, at weekends and on public holidays, tents may close their doors for a while when they are full. If you want a relaxed seat without booking, a weekday afternoon is your friend.

The tradition goes back to 1810, when Crown Prince Ludwig, later King Ludwig I, married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The people of Munich were invited to the celebrations on the fields outside the city gates, and horse races closed the event. The races were repeated the following year, and the festival grew from there. The first beer tents replaced simple beer stands in 1896.

Key dates for 2027

The tapping of the first barrel opens the festival, but several other days are worth knowing about. Plan your journey well ahead for any of them, because the city centre and public transport get very busy, especially around the big parades.

• Saturday 18 September: in the morning, the festival landlords, breweries, brass bands and decorated horse-drawn carriages make their way to the Theresienwiese. At 12 noon the Mayor of Munich taps the first barrel in the Schottenhamel tent with the cry “O’zapft is!” (“It’s tapped!”), and beer service starts in the tents.
• Sunday 19 September: the traditional costume and marksmen’s parade moves through the city centre with costumed groups, marksmen’s clubs, brass bands and floats. It draws big crowds along the route.
• Thursday 23 September: an ecumenical church service in the Marstall tent, held by the fairground operators and landlords. Visitors are welcome.
• Sunday 26 September: the tent bands play an open-air concert together on the steps below the Bavaria statue, the large bronze figure overlooking the grounds.
• Sunday 3 October: around 60 gun saluters fire a farewell salute at midday at the foot of the Bavaria statue. It is loud, but the festival carries on until the evening.

Opening hours, bags and getting there

Beer is served in the large tents until 10:30 pm and in the small tents until 11 pm, and everything closes at 11:30 pm. Two exceptions, the Käfer Wies’n-Schänke and Kufflers Weinzelt, serve until 0:30 am and close at 1 am. Rides and stalls open at 10 am from Monday to Thursday and stay open until 11:30 pm, run from 10 am to midnight on Fridays, and from 9 am to 11:30 pm on Sundays. Opening day and Saturdays have their own times, so check the official page before you go.

Bag rules are strict. Bags and rucksacks are allowed only up to 3 litres and 20 × 15 × 10 centimetres. Anything larger is a problem at the entrance, so leave the big rucksack at home. The site map shows luggage storage, cash machines, toilets, taxi ranks and other service points, and it saves a lot of wandering.

Come by U-Bahn (underground), S-Bahn (suburban rail) or on foot. There are no visitor car parks directly at the Theresienwiese. The large tents, toilets and walkways have accessible entry and facilities.

The Wiesn with children

The Oktoberfest can work well with children if you pick your moment. The city holds two Family Days on Tuesday 21 September and Tuesday 28 September, when many rides and stalls offer reduced prices for children until 7 pm. Some tents also offer special deals for families.

The calmer choice is the Oide Wiesn (Bavarian for “old Wiesn”), the historic Oktoberfest in the southern part of the grounds. It has old carousels, traditional tents, folk dancing and brass band music, and the city recommends it for families and anyone who wants a break from the crowds. It is the only part with an entrance fee. In 2026 adults paid 4 euros and children up to the age of 14 got in free. Check the official page for the 2027 price. The Oide Wiesn is open daily from 10 am to 11:30 pm.

The evenings in the big tents are adult territory: loud, packed and built around beer. If you are going with friends from work, that is the experience. With small children, daytime visits to the rides and the Oide Wiesn make more sense.

The rest of the year

Once the Wiesn is over, the city’s official events page is the place to look. Its event search listed 7414 events when we checked. It also has an Event Guide with ten events the city recommends, plus sections on English-language theatre, opera, ballet and musicals, museums, concerts, nightlife and film festivals. The English-language theatre section is useful if your German is still a work in progress.

A few examples from the November 2026 listings give a sense of the range. The Münchner Theater für Kinder (Munich Children’s Theatre) is showing “Die Sterntaler” (“The Star Money”, a fairy tale) from 07 Nov until 16 Jan, with a 10:00 to 12:00 slot on Saturday 7 November. Winterworld at Motorworld München runs from 07 Nov until 20 Dec, open 11:00 to 23:00 that day. For adults who like galleries, the Kunsthalle München has “Barcelona Moderna” from 07 Nov until 21 Feb. The Archäologische Staatssammlung (Bavarian State Archaeological Collection) has an exhibition on Stonehenge running from 19 Sep until 29 Aug. Times change by day, so check each venue’s own site for current hours and prices.

FAQ

Do I need a table reservation for the Oktoberfest?

No. Every tent has areas and beer gardens that do not need a reservation. Reservations are handled by the individual tents, and on evenings, weekends and public holidays a tent may close its doors for a while when it is full.

Can I bring a bag or rucksack?

Only a small one. Bags and rucksacks are allowed up to 3 litres and 20 × 15 × 10 centimetres. The site map shows where luggage storage is.

Which days are best for families?

The Family Days on Tuesday 21 September and Tuesday 28 September, when many rides and stalls charge children less until 7 pm. The Oide Wiesn is also a good choice: in 2026 children up to the age of 14 got in free.

How do I find out what is on in Munich outside Oktoberfest season?

Use the event search and Event Guide on muenchen.de. They cover museums, theatre in English, opera, concerts, nightlife, film and children’s theatre. Check the venue’s own site for current prices and opening times.

Official sources: muenchen.de · muenchen.de

Last checked: 7 November 2026 against the pages linked above. Prices, opening hours and programmes change; the venue’s own site always has the current details.