Munich Oktoberfest 2019 | Hours of Events, Beer Tents & Outfits

Cities across the world are gearing up for annual Oktoberfest celebrations, but there’s only one place to get the real deal, and that’s in Munich! For the 186th year in a row, Munich Oktoberfest will welcome millions of visitors in dirndls and lederhosen to the biggest beer festival in the world, and while it’s guaranteed that more than 7 million liters of brew will be consumed, Munich Oktoberfest 2019 features way more than beer guzzling. For more than two weeks the fairgrounds arena of Theresienwiese will be transformed into an amusement park packed full of rides, game booths, traditional festivities, and best of all, all the German food you can eat!

Things to Know about Munich Oktoberfest

• The event kicks off each year in mid- to late-September and lasts for 16 to 18 days, depending on the calendar.
• More than 6 million people attend Munich Oktoberfest every year.
• Munich Oktoberfest is also called Wiesn, a shortened name for the fairgrounds venue Theresienwiese, meaning “Theresa’s meadows.”
• Families get reduced prices on rides, food and other attractions during Oktoberfest Family Days, which take place on select Tuesdays during the event.

What to wear during Munich Oktoberfest 2019

Wearing a costume or traditional dress is not mandatory for participating in Munich Oktoberfest, but women in dirndls and men in lederhosen might very well have a better time! Visitors can find the traditional clothing at shops all around Theresienwiese and Marienplatz, Munich’s historic town square. A couple popular stores are Steindl Trachten and LODENFREY Verkaufshaus.

Buying traditional clothing for Munich Oktoberfest can set you back anywhere from $150 to $400. However, some shops offer discounts during Wiesn for lederhosen and dirndl “combos,” and some stores, like Steindl Trachten, have second-hand selections.

Alternatively, tourists who don’t want to take home a dirndl or a pair of lederhose as a souvenir can rent a costume. Bavarian Outfitters charges about $50 per day for full dirndl and lederhosen sets. The store is located at Auenstraße 31, 80469, just a 15-minute walk from Theresienwiese.

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Munich Oktoberfest 2019 Calendar of Events

When: September 21 to October 6

Where: Munich Oktoberfest takes place in the fairgrounds district of Theresienwiese, also called Wiesn, for short. The 100-acre area is just a 20-minute walk from Marienplatz town square. Besides the many festivals hosted there each year, Theresienwiese also is known as the site of the Bavaria Statue, a 61-feet-tall bronze statue of a mighty woman symbolizing Bavaria’s strength. Visitor’s can climb to the head of the statue via a winding staircase to peer out over the city and also visit the neighboring Ruhmeshalle, or Bavarian Hall of Fame.

Saturday, September 21

• 10:45 a.m. – Parade of Wiesn Landlords and Breweries. Marking the official kickoff to Oktoberfest, the Parade of Wiesn Landlords and Breweries begins at Josephspitalstraße and ends with a march around Bavariaring, which encircles Theresienwiese. The parade is led by City Mascot Münchner Kindl and the Munich mayor, who are followed by festively-decorated horse-drawn carriages and carts carrying the Wiesn landlords and their families.
• Noon – Oktoberfest Tapping and Opening Ceremony. Munich Oktoberfest can’t get underway until the first barrel of beer is tapped. The mayor of Munich conducts this annual honor, which also includes the first glass of beer and a shout of “O’zapft is!,” the official signal that the beer can begin flowing! The ceremony takes place in Schottenhamel festival hall.

Sunday, September 22

• 10 a.m. – Traditional Costume and Hunters’ Parade. About 9,000 participants from hunting clubs, historic groups, bands and organizations join in the fun that starts at Maximilianstraße and ends at Theresienwiese.

Sunday, September 29

• 11 a.m. – The Wiesn Landlords’ Concert 2019. Guests get a true taste of Bavaria as hundreds of Wiesn landlords and musicians join at the Bavaria Statue for a festive concert. Bands play popular Bavarian marches and songs, and traditional dance troupes make plenty of appearances.

Sunday, October 6

• Noon – Traditional Gun Salutes. The festival that begins with a gun salute must end with one also. During the closing ceremony, more than 50 men and women in traditional dress gather at the Bavaria Statue for a grand – and smoky – black powder “shoot out” backed by tunes played by a brass band.

Munich Oktoberfest Tents

Part of the fun of Oktoberfest is visiting the 38 tents, often called beer tents, lined up throughout Theresienwiese. There are 21 small tents and 17 large tents, and each serve up their own unique brews, food and activities. Many of the tents are family-friendly, and some are popular for their party atmospheres. Guests can enter any beer tent for free.

Tents serve beer from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Friday during Oktoberfest. On Saturdays, Sundays and for German Unity Day on October 3, the tents open at 9 a.m. and close at 11:30 p.m.

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