Oktoberfest. Tents, entry, dress code, prices and tips

Tips summary:

  1. It’s free! You can enter the festival and tents with no tickets, free of charge.
  2. You probably need at least €50 in cash per day/night; which covers 2 beers (1 litre each), some food (i.e. chicken) and 2 trips of public transport.
  3. There could be long queues to enter the tents. To avoid them, go very early (before 12 pm at least) or be ready to wait, especially on weekends. During weekdays it is normally easier, so you can go in the evening and find a table.
  4. If you want to dress up, you will need at least €100, and there are plenty of places in Munich to get the clothes. But it is completely ok to not do it. For men, a simple checkered shirt would work. Avoid cheap/fake dresses, better to go casual.
  5. We recommend the following tents: Pschorr, Schützenfesthalle, HackerOchsenbraterei.
  6. Beer serving hours: 10 am to 10:30 pm on weekdays and 9 am to 10:30 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
  7. Get there by metro: we recommend Goetheplatz or Poccistraße stations, being Theresienwiese the main one.
  8. Avoid large bags. They check at the door and they could not allow them.
  9. You can only order from the seating area, although some waitress may take your order anyway.
  10. Do not hesitate to get a seat/table! And be patient with the toilets queue (women).

There is plenty of information online about Oktoberfest. Our intention with this post is to summarise it as much as possible, without leaving any important advice behind.

For more detailed information we recommend this Oktoberfest FAQ and also the official website.

Date and time

Oktoberfest used to be in October, as you would imagine but nowadays starts in mid-September. One of the reasons for this seems to be the weather. The next ones will be:

  • 2023: September 16 – October 3
  • 2022: September 15 – October 5
  • 2021 and 2020: Suspended due to Covid-19
  • 2019: September 21 – October 6
  • 2018: September 22 – October 7

And the beer serving hours are:

  • Weekdays 10.00 am – 10.30 pm
  • Saturday, Sunday & holiday 09.00 am – 10.30 pm

Entry and reservations

There is NO entry fee. You can enter the area and all beer tents for free.

For making a reservation in a tent you have to contact the respective beer tent. You can find this information on the official website.

The best way to get there is by metro. Theresienwiese (U4 and U5) is the main station, which you can avoid using Goetheplatz (U3 and U6) or Poccistraße (U4 and U5).

Prices

The massive glass of 1 litre of beer will cost between 10.60€ and 10.95€ in 2017, depending on the tent. This is an increase of 2.55% compared to 2016.

Oktoberfest World famous 1 litre glass
Oktoberfest World famous 1-litre glass

Non-alcoholic drinks are expensive this year. A litre of drinking water will cost on average €8.73, an increase of €0.46 compared to last year. And a litre of lemonade will cost €9.55.

A single and average evening would cost at least €50 in cash:

  • 2 beers = 22€
  • 1 chicken, or similar traditional dish = 15€
  • 1 Pretzel, or similar = 5€
  • 2 trips on public transport = 6€
  • Total cost, per person = 48€

You cannot bring your own food or drinks to the tents.

Tents

There are 14 tents, all of them with its own charm, so it is not an easy choice. The picture below shows the full map:

Oktoberfest 2017 Tents
Oktoberfest 2017 Tents (source: oktoberfest.de)

Our favourites tents were the following:

1. Pschorr-Bräurosl

An excellent balance between locals and foreigners, an amazing vibe and the best beer.

Pschorr-Bräurosl tent
Pschorr-Bräurosl tent

2. Schützen-Festzelt

Not as big as the others, but great atmosphere and decoration. It is also famous for its pig with beer sauce and potato salad.

Schützen-Festzelt tent
Schützen-Festzelt tent

3. Hacker-Festhalle

Surrounded by clouds and stars, and always a cheerful crowd, this is an old-time favourite.

Hacker-Festhalle tent
Hacker-Festhalle tent

Besides the ones above, Augustiner-Festhalle is considered the one with the best beer (served from barrels), Hofbräu Festzelt is well known for getting crowded and full of tourists, similar to Löwenbräu-Festhalle.

Dress code

It is perfectly fine if you do not want to dress up, but avoid cheap/fake dresses, as it would be better to go casual. If you want to do it, be ready to spend at least €100. Locals normally take clothes seriously and spend a lot of money on them.

A good and cheaper alternative is to rent. I recommend using Bavarian Outfitters rentals. You can get a Lederhosen set (Lederhose, socks & costume shirt) for €49,90/day and a Dirndl for €42,90/day. In both cases, you get a 50% off the second day.

Traditional Bavarian dress for men includes:

  • Checkered shirt
  • Leather trousers (the Lederhosen)
  • Off-white slouch socks
  • Haferl shoes, normally black.
Bavarian dress for him
Bavarian dress for him (source: http://www.oktoberfest-insider.com/oktoberfest-what-to-wear.htm)

Traditional Bavarian dress for women includes:

  • Short-sleeved white blouse
  • Traditional dress (the Dirndl)
  • Pinafore
  • Sheer pantyhose
  • Elegant low-heeled loafers
Bavarian dress for her
Bavarian dress for her (source: http://www.oktoberfest-insider.com/oktoberfest-what-to-wear.htm)

Oktoberfest Accommodation

Munich gets extremely busy during this time of the year, so you will need to book in advance. And if you want to find a good price, I would recommend booking at least 6 months in advance, although the sooner the better, and one year would be ideal.

Our recommendations:

Cheap options

Walking distance to the fest

Pricey but great quality

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.