Oktoberfest is the ultimate celebration of German beer, food and Bavarian culture! Germany’s largest volksfest is famous around the world and is held annually in autumn in the Bavarian region of Germany. The festival is all about bringing people together from around the world to celebrate with great food, merrymaking and beer, of course! Expat Explore has put together this handy Oktoberfest Munich guide to help you navigate this bucket-list beer fest.
Everything you need to know about Oktoberfest 2024:
When is Oktoberfest?
The 189th Oktoberfest in Munich is taking place from 21 September to 6 October 2024! If you can’t make it this year, be sure to start planning for Oktoberfest 2025, which will take place from 20 September to 5 October 2025.
What is Oktoberfest?
Oktoberfest is the world’s largest folk festival, hosted each year in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The first-ever Oktoberfest was a marriage celebration for the Bavarian crown prince Ludwig and Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen held on 12 October 1810. The festival date was later moved to September to allow for better weather conditions, but the name stuck.
At the first celebrations, festival-goers were entertained by traditions such as tree climbing contests, sack races and goose chases. Years later, carousels, swings and beer stands were added for visitors – the start of Oktoberfest as we know it today!
Today, Oktoberfest is a multi-day festival that attracts literally millions of people from all over the world! Over 7 million people attended Oktoberfest in 2023, drinking around 6.5 million litres of beer.
The big attraction is the six big breweries that serve beer in over beer 14 tents: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, Spaten and Hofbrauhäus. Oktoberfest is like a massive state fair and the festival fairgrounds offer something for those young and old, like carnival rides, roller coasters, yodelling contests and beer tasting contests – to just name a few! The best part is getting to know German culture and experiencing the atmosphere of people singing and having a good time.
Related: Along with Munich, these are the top destinations for beer lovers!
What is the address of Oktoberfest 2024?
The festival grounds are located at the Theresienwiese, a meadow outside of Munich named after Prince Ludwig’s wife and referred to by the locals as the ‘Wies’n’. The beer tents open at 9:00 am over weekends and 10:00 am on weekdays. They stop serving beer at 10:30 pm and close the tents around 11:30 pm.
How much time do I need to experience Oktoberfest to the fullest?
Spending one or two days at Oktoberfest is more than enough. Most of the locals join in on the fun for only a day or two and then head back home. Tourists generally stay longer, but to be honest, one can only consume so much beer and wurst! Booking out one or two days to spend at the Oktoberfest Festivities in Munich is more than enough.
What do I wear? So glad you asked!
Dressing up for Oktoberfest is a must! Locals and visitors dress up in traditional Bavarian outfits. Men usually wear a shirt, bandana, lederhosen, suspenders, socks, shoes and a hat. You can see women dressed in dirndl, blouse, apron and ribbon necklace. To look the part, you can invest in expensive designer wear or simply buy a €50 outfit at any of the local stores. Lederhosen or Dirndl of good quality cost around €150. Alternatively, outfits can also be rented for a couple of days.
What do you need to budget for?
- Do I need to pay for entrance to the festival? It’s all absolutely free of charge!
- Oide Wiesn (Vintage Wiesen) with historical Oktoberfest museums and rides like the Witch’s Swing or the Krinoline charge about €4 for entrance (free for children under 14).
- If you want to enter the Historical Wiesn grounds (“Historische Wiesn”) you may need to pay a small entrance fee of €4.
- A 1 litre stein of beer will cost you between €14.90 and €17.40. Check beer prices on the official Oktoberfest Website.
- German meals served in the tents include amazing rotisserie chicken, Cordon Bleu, Pork Knuckle and the best Schweinebraten (Bavarian style pork roast) that you’ve ever tasted! For these meals, budget around €15-€25 . It’s always a good idea to eat outside the tents where more affordable meals and snacks like Bratwurst or sausages are sold for about €5. Also consider having lunch around midday as many hosts offer lunchtime specials.
- If you plan to stay one whole day budget about €100 to drink 2-3 beers and eat more than once.
What food can I expect to find?
Brezeln: Pretzel
Weisswurst: White sausage (usually served for breakfast with wheat beer)
Bratwurst: Pork sausage (served with a bread roll)
Kartoffeln: Potatoes
Hendl: Rotisserie Chicken
Sauerkraut: Pickled Cabbage
Apfelstrudel: Apple Strudel
Schweinshaxe: Pickled Ham (served with sauerkraut and potatoes)
Dampfnudel: Bread dumpling (savoury dish with herbs, cheese and vegetables or as a sweet dessert with vanilla sauce and melted butter)
Travel tip: If you’re not into beer you can also visit the Weinzelt or “Wine Tent”, where they serve 15 different varieties of red and white German wine; or try Weinschorle – red or white wine mixed with sparkling water.
I can’t speak a word of German!
It’s not a problem if you can’t speak German, most tents have English menus available and since the festival is an international tourist destination waitresses can speak basic English. However, you can come prepared by learning some basic phrases:
Cheers!: Prost
Thank you: Danke
Please: Bitte
You’re welcome: Bitte Schön
Welcome!: Willkommen
Yes: Ja
No: Nein
One Stein of beer please: Ein Maẞ bitte (pronounced mass) Beer is served in one-litre glass mugs or, in Bavarian, a Maẞ.
General Oktoberfest Tips:
- Depending on the weather, it’s generally quieter during the week. The earlier you go, the better the chances are of you getting a table. From around 2:30pm all the tents fill up quickly. Go from about 9:00am. Click here for a good overview of the tents and seating availability.
- If you have a big group of friends and you don’t want to wait for seating, book a table! To book a table you have to eat and drink up to a certain amount. Keep in mind that you will be seated and drinking for the whole day when there. Find out more about reservations here.
- Do not underestimate how strong German beer can be. Oktoberfest beer is known to be even stronger than normal German beer. Pace yourself and stay hydrated.
- Check the weather! Late September is autumn and the weather tends to be unpredictable. Warm, cosy weather with a high of over 20 degrees as well as unexpected cold and rainy weather has been recorded in the past.
- The 3rd of October is the German National Day of Unity and a bank holiday throughout the country. All the weekend rules count!
- Tipping is very common. In fact, it’s more like a compulsory service fee. The waitress might tell you what to pay extra, if not, at least tell her to keep the change. The waitresses serve literally thousands of people carrying about six gallons of beer at a time! In Germany, it’s also good manners to state the amount that you’re tipping rather than taking your change and then handing the tip to the server.
- Remember that the beer mugs belong to the breweries and taking them as a souvenir can get you into deep trouble.
- Munich gets very busy over this period. Be sure to book your accommodation well in advance! Have a look at booking.com for the best hotel options.
Wondering what Expat Explore tours visit Munich during the festival? Check out the latest availability on our Europe Highlights, Europe Escape, Eastern Highlights, Croatian & Eastern Delights and Ultimate Europe tour itineraries that visit Munich during Oktoberfest!
Blog Home Page 
