Oktoberfest 2026: A Guide to the World’s Largest Folk Festival

Last Updated: August 17, 2026

Planning your first Oktoberfest? Oktoberfest 2026 runs from Saturday, September 19, through Sunday, October 4, at the Theresienwiese in Munich, Germany. This free admission festival is the largest folk festival in the world. The best part? You don’t even need a reservation to partake in the world’s biggest party.

I attended Oktoberfest in 2025 as a first-time visitor and learned a few things the hard way— here’s everything I wish I’d known about finding seats, navigating reservations, best days to attend, what to wear, where to stay, and other helpful tips for the festival.

Table of Contents

• Oktoberfest at a Glance
• Best Days to Visit Oktoberfest 2026
• How much does Oktoberfest cost?
• Best Oktoberfest Beer Tents for First-Time Visitors
• What do I wear to Oktoberfest?
• What to eat and drink at Oktoberfest
• Where to stay for Oktoberfest 2026
• How do I get to Oktoberfest?
• Oktoberfest Tips for First-Time Visitors
• Is Oktoberfest worth it?

Oktoberfest at a Glance

What is Oktoberfest?

In modern times, Oktoberfest is the world’s largest folk festival. The festival is best known for its large beer “tents,” which are put up and taken down each year. Calling them “tents” is a slight misnomer, as the largest are massive, semi-permanent wooden and steel halls capable of serving thousands of guests. The festival has an expected turnout of around 6-7 million guests during its run and in 2025 went through 6.5 million liters (about 1.7 million gallons) of locally brewed Bavarian beer.

The festival dates back to an October 12th wedding of Prince Regent Ludwig of Bavaria, later King Ludwig I, and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in 1810. The celebrations for their wedding were held in the city center of Munich and were open to the public. These festivities lasted 5 days, wrapping up on October 17th with a horse race. This meadow where the horse race took place was named “Theresens-Wiese” in honor of the bride, and the rest is history. The Theresienwiese, or “Wiesn” for short, is the same spot that Oktoberfest celebrations are held today. “Wiesn” (pronounced “VEE-zn” for us English speakers) is also the common Bavarian nickname for Oktoberfest, and you’ll hear locals use it frequently.

Why is Oktoberfest held mostly in September?

As I quickly found out on my trip to Oktoberfest in 2025, it is because of the weather! October can be quite chilly and rainy in Germany. Given this fact, the festival start date was gradually moved earlier over the years to take advantage of better weather and longer daylight. If you plan to attend the festival at the tail end, I would definitely recommend bringing a good thermal layer and rain jacket to wear over your festival clothes when walking around Munich.

Best Days to Visit Oktoberfest 2026

The festival is usually calmer on weekdays and more crowded on weekends. According to the visitor forecasts, Mondays are generally the slowest, with Saturdays being the busiest. That said, Oktoberfest is generally pretty active anytime the festival is open.

What time should I arrive?

The hours for the festival are below.

• Monday–Thursday: 10 a.m.–11:30 p.m.
• Friday: 10 a.m.–midnight
• Saturday: 9 a.m.–midnight
• Sunday: 9 a.m.–11:30 p.m.

I would personally recommend getting to the festival as close to opening as possible. This is especially true if you’re trying to get a table for a group. I arrived around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday for my first day at the festival, and the tents were already rather full.

My recommendation for groups is to arrive before 11 a.m. on a weekday for the best chance to snag a seat. As for solo travelers, you can take your pick, but weekends will fill up faster than weekdays. As a solo traveler, I still found it fairly easy to find a seat on closing weekend when the festival was in full swing as long as I arrived early enough.

Do you need a reservation at Oktoberfest?

Short answer: no, you don’t need a reservation to visit Oktoberfest. The tents do have several tables specifically for walk-ins. The number of tables reserved for walk-ins varies by time of day, with the most available in the mornings. These walk-in seats fill up fast, and if you’re looking for a table to sit at all day, you may have to race the locals when the festival opens.

If all the open seating is taken, it’s fairly common to get taken in by a group that has an open seat if you ask politely. Also, tables can have no shows for their reservation slot, and servers will generally let you sit there until the party who has the reservation shows up. That said, just because it looks like a spot is open doesn’t mean you’re entitled to a seat. Many have reservations that are awaiting family or friends, so don’t take it personally if the table tells you there’s no space available or a server asks you to find another seat.

Can I still get an Oktoberfest reservation?

If you’re really keen on getting a reservation, as of August 12, 2026, there are still some available. Each tent at the festival has its own online portal where you can see what reservations are available. These reservations have a minimum order associated, and right now, for example, a reservation for Monday, September 28, 2026 from 12:00 – 17:30 (12 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) for 1 table/10 people in the Hacker-Festzelt is running ~€334 ($384).

The official Oktoberfest website also links to the official booking and resale portal for table reservations. These reservations will be available for purchase on August 27, 2026. Here is the link to that page: Oktoberfest Resale

It’s also fairly common to find listings for a single seat or group reservations offered by tour groups even this close to the festival, but they can be quite pricey. A word of warning, though, if you’re considering third-party sites. There are many sites out there that can scam you out of your money. I have read about cases of buying a reservation and showing up with no table allotted. So with this in mind, I would suggest you stick to the official portals of the tents or the Oktoberfest official website when trying to book.

Are reservations for specific times?

The biggest shock to me when attending the festival was actually learning about how reservations were for specific time slots. I had assumed tables were reserved for the entire day. There are even tables that are open seating in the morning (before 3 p.m. on weekends, for example) that will have reservations only for the evening hours. At these specific times during the day, servers will help usher people out of the tables and get them ready for the next batch of reservations. If you happen to be at a table when this happens, you really only have two options.

1) Try to find another table to take you in after the next batch of reservations have claimed their tables.

2) Try to snag a table in another tent.

You’ll run into some challenges with each option.

For option 1, you’ll have to keep moving until you find a seat. The tents have rules about loitering and, in general, staff will try to usher you out the door if you can’t find a seat. The workaround is to continue circling in the tent until you find a table. This can take some time and is much easier if you’re only one or two people. A big takeaway while executing this option is to stay out of the way of servers. There are dedicated lanes and alleys just for servers to bring food and drink to the thousands of patrons in the tents, and getting in their way is something I would not recommend.

For option 2, this can be a good option if your tent has really filled up with people. However, later in the evenings (generally after the last reservations are seated), if the tents get full, they will no longer allow more guests to come inside as there are just not enough seats to house everyone. This again goes back to their rules against people just loitering inside the tents. It’s also worth noting that you cannot buy a drink unless your butt or feet are in a seat. In my experience, I picked a tent in the morning and stuck with it until close on both days. I think it’s worth trying to continue and find a seat rather than roll the dice that another tent will let you in during the evening hours.

How much does Oktoberfest cost?

At this time, flights are looking to be ~€606 ($700) from the East Coast USA at the time of writing.

Accommodation inside the city of Munich looks to have options for around ~€174 ($200) a night on Booking.com. There is the option to camp around Munich during Oktoberfest, but I’ve heard this can be either very fun or very miserable depending on the weather situation. I personally decided not to chance it when I visited and instead stayed in a hostel.

Breakfast before the festival is going to run you ~€10-15 ($12-18) each day in my experience.

For the festival itself, a Maß is running €14.80 to €15.90 (~$17.05-$18.32). These are full-liter beers, so I’d adjust your budget based on how many you think you’ll drink in a day.

Food at the festival, inside the tents, is going to run you ~€40 ($46) for a main dish earlier in the day and for 2 pretzels spread throughout to soak up some of the beer. See below in the what to eat section for exact prices on one of the tent menus.

2026 Cost Estimate

The table below provides a rough estimate of what I would budget for a 6 Day, 5 Night stay in Munich with 1 day for arrival, 2 days at the festival, 2 days exploring the city of Munich, and 1 day for departure.

Expense	Estimated Cost
Flight	~€606 ($700)
Hotel	~€174 ($200) per night x 5 nights
Food	~€60 ($70) per day x 6 days
Drinks	~€100 ($116) per day x 2 Festival days
Transportation and Other Expenses	~€30 ($35) per day x 6 days
Total	~€2,216 ($2,562)

This is just an estimate and could vary wildly up or down depending on if you want to get table reservations, stay in the city center, camp instead of stay in a hotel, attend after parties, do some shopping in the city, or book other activities. Traveling from inside Europe may also drastically lower your transportation costs, which is something to consider. This should, however, be a pretty decent guideline for what to expect if you’re booking an Oktoberfest trip around a month out.

How much money should I bring to the festival?

Some tents accept card payments, while others only accept cash. So with that in mind, I would bring as much cash as you think you need to cover drinks and food inside the tents. I personally brought ~€150 each day, which worked out for me.

What is a Maß?

I’ve mentioned it a couple times now, but a Maß (pronounced “MAHSS” in English) is a one-liter measure of beer. This word is also used to order said one liter at Oktoberfest. Saying “Eine Maß, bitte” will get you one beer at the tents.

Do I tip at Oktoberfest?

Tipping in European countries isn’t as big as in the U.S., but it’s still expected that you tip €1-2 per Maß you order. It’s also worth noting that tipping is handled a little differently than I was used to. For example, in Germany, if your drink costs €16 and you hand the server €20, you have to specify how much change you want back for that transaction. I forgot to do this once while things were really busy, and the server assumed I was tipping the remaining €4. No harm, no foul, but if you’d like some change back, just make sure you say so when handing over your cash. As a final tip about ordering, you pay for your beer when it arrives, not before. If a server is asking you to pay before bringing your drink, I’d try to find someone else to take that order.

Best Oktoberfest Beer Tents for First-Time Visitors

I was able to walk through all the large tents before picking one to call home for the day on my second day of the festival. They all have a unique charm, but I personally liked the Hacker-Festzelt the most. You might notice in this article I’m using them as the example for most tents’ specific items. I also ended up in the Paulaner-Festzelt for a day, which was also another really good time. Below are the tents I would recommend for first-timers.

Hacker-Festzelt

Also known as Bavarian Heaven, with a ceiling that is adorned with blue cloth, making it feel like you’re sitting under open sky. Because this tent is so unique, it fills up fast, and the party tends to ramp up earlier than most tents. This was my personal pick given its unique charm.

Paulaner-Festzelt

This tent offers a good mix of a more laid-back lunchtime, with the crowd ramping up in the evening. Funny enough, I only ordered food at the festival in the Paulaner tent (besides a pretzel or two at Hacker), and it was rather good!

Augustiner-Festhalle

This tent is particularly popular with locals and families and is known for serving Augustiner beer, which is usually a local favorite. It may be harder to find a seat here, but if you can, you’re bound to have an authentic Oktoberfest experience.

Schottenhamel-Festhalle

This tent is home to the opening ceremony of Oktoberfest and has unique square table layouts. This means you get more face to face time with not only your table but those around you. I read that this tent is mostly for the younger crowd, but I found that the age variety was pretty much the same compared to other tents when walking through.

Hofbräu-Festzelt

This tent is widely known for attracting the most international and rowdiest group at the festival. Hofbräu is one of the more well-known German beers and, for that reason, is popular with people visiting. This tent also breaks the rules a little bit by being the only tent to offer an area that is standing room only.

A map of where these tents are located at the festival can be found here: Oktoberfest Map.

What do I wear to Oktoberfest?

I found the YouTube channel FelifromGermany, which did a really great job of breaking down the dress code for Oktoberfest. The short of it is that you do not need to dress in traditional clothing if you don’t want to. That said, I did, and I would highly recommend you do as well if you plan on going. Traditional Bavarian dress is collectively referred to as “Tracht,” and that mainly means Lederhosen for men and Dirndls for women. Given their cultural significance and prevalence in Bavarian lives today, it’s generally considered rude to wear costume versions of these clothes. Oktoberfest is one giant party, but especially in the earlier hours it is also a festival for families. So with that in mind, keep it classy with regular street clothes or traditional Tracht.

So, where do I get this Tracht if the costume versions are unacceptable? The answer I found from Feli was Bavaria Trachten. I took her advice and can confirm their items were good quality. They aren’t what I would consider cheap, but they are more reasonably priced than buying the whole outfit in Munich, where they really take their Tracht seriously. I will mention that there are many shops that both sell and rent Lederhosen and Dirndls around the Oktoberfest grounds. If you do not want to buy, this may be a good option for you. Just make sure you give yourself time before your first festival day to try on different pieces and get something that looks nice and fits well.

What should women wear to Oktoberfest?

For the ladies, a Dirndl dress, Dirndl blouse, and some nice shoes seem to be the main components for a good outfit. Also, it’s worth noting for the ladies that the side you tie your Dirndl’s bow says something about your relationship status.

Left Side: The wearer is single and open to flirting.
Right Side: The wearer is married, engaged, or taken.
Front Center: Traditionally indicates someone who is undecided.
Back Center: Worn by widows, children, or working waitresses so the strings stay out of the way.

That said, this is a traditional custom, and I didn’t see many people commenting or making a big fuss about bow position when I was in the tents, so I wouldn’t fret it too much if you forget.

What should men wear to Oktoberfest?

The basics for men are a pair of Lederhosen, a checkered or white dress shirt, Loferl socks, and some Haferl or dress shoes. I got my Lederhosen, checkered shirt, and Loferl socks from Bavaria Trachten. It cost me roughly €173 ($200) before shipping. I did notice during my first day at the festival that most men opted for a vest over their shirt rather than wearing the typical suspenders. I ended up buying a vest in Munich for ~€50 ($57), but Bavaria Trachten also sells them for another €86 ($100) if you want to go that route. As for shoes, I did not buy the traditional Haferl and instead decided to wear my normal black leather dress shoes. This seemed to work well because on my second day at the festival I was mistaken for a German by some locals who joined my table!

Consider the weather

As I said above, Germany can be a little bit chilly during later festival dates. I also had to battle rain both days that I was at Oktoberfest. To make things worse, I did not pack any thermal layers and had pretty chilly walks back in just my Lederhosen to the hostel after the tents had closed. I would suggest bringing at minimum a lightweight layer that you can stuff into a small bag. The bag is important because tables generally do not have any space to store your stuff. I would recommend going in with the assumption that anything underneath the table has a reasonable chance of getting beer spilled on it.

What to eat and drink at Oktoberfest

The beer at Oktoberfest is tent-specific. This means that inside the Hacker tent you will only be served Hacker-Pschorr beer. If you have a favorite Bavarian beer, I would search out that specific tent to call home. In addition to beer, you also can order Radlers (half beer, half lemonade) and water throughout the night to try and pace yourself if you so feel the need. Outside the tents, you can also order beer at one of the many beer gardens around the festival, with some even serving wine in specific locations.

What is the best food at Oktoberfest?

As for food at the festival, each tent has a rather large menu for all sorts of different items. The focus is usually on pretzels and O’bazda (German cheese spread) as snacks. The Hendl (listed as Oktoberfest Fried Chicken on the menu below) or Schweinehaxe (pork knuckle), usually served with Knödel (potato dumplings), are the go-to choices for a hearty meal.

Where to stay for Oktoberfest 2026

I personally stayed at the Wombat’s City Hostel Munich Hauptbahnhof. It was perfect because the hostel had a good included breakfast and was walking distance from the Oktoberfest grounds. That said, it looks like that hostel is currently ~€351 ($405) a night, which is about double what I paid when booking my trip in July 2025. There are train lines that run very close to the festival grounds, so the advice I found in numerous places is to find cheaper accommodation along one of the U-Bahn or S-Bahn train lines and use that to get to and from the festival. It can get crowded since many other people have this idea, but it can be a better option compared to paying some of the prices found in the city center.

How do I get to Oktoberfest?

Munich is a well-connected city in the region, and depending on where you’re coming from, you might have numerous options to get into the city. I arrived in Munich at the main station, Hauptbahnhof, coming from Zurich. I had booked this train through DB Navigator, which is the go-to platform for booking train travel in Germany. As for getting around the city, I unfortunately can’t be much help since my hotel, the main station, and the Oktoberfest grounds were all within walking distance from each other. I also walked the remainder of my time in Munich to the different sights downtown when I was exploring outside the festival grounds.

As mentioned in the above section, I do know that the U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines run through the heart of Munich and are used by tourists and locals alike to not only get to and from the Oktoberfest grounds but also to get quickly to most other areas of the city. The Theresienwiese U-Bahn station is one of the most convenient ways to reach the festival. Schwanthalerhöhe and Hackerbrücke stations can also be good choices depending on where you’re coming from.

The general consensus I’ve seen in my research is that ride share services and private taxis are not only extremely expensive but also rather unreliable during the festival due to the amount of traffic. I’d recommend typing in your desired accommodation into Google Maps and scouting out what public transportation options you have available to get to and from the festival.

Oktoberfest Tips for First-Time Visitors

What should I know before I go to Oktoberfest?

• You may stand up on your seat, but you may not stand on top of the tables. This can quickly get you on a server’s bad side unless you’re quickly crossing to the other side of a table.
• I would recommend comfortable shoes because, especially in the evening, you end up standing more than sitting at the tables.
• Always ask if you can join a table and do not assume an empty spot means there is room for you.
• Respect your neighbors once you get invited to join a table. Everyone is there to have a good time.
• Pace yourself, because if you throw up you’ll be kicked from the tent and have to pay a cleaning fee.
• In the same vein of pacing yourself, do not chug your beer, or at least don’t stand on the table and make a big show of it. The tents want people to be responsible, and chugging your beer is a good way to get ushered out.
• Try your best to join in with traditional songs and cheers. You’ll get a feel for when to clink glasses fairly quickly.
• A word of warning regarding clinking glasses. At the festival, I did have one glass chip on the top after about an hour of aggressive clashing with some new German friends. This sprinkled some less-than-desirable glass shards into my drink. Needless to say, that one was thrown out by the wait staff, and I had to order another beer. Just something to keep an eye out for as the night progresses.

What does “Prost!” mean?

Simply put, it’s the German equivalent of “Cheers!”. Learn it and love it because you will be saying it often at the festival! Many of the songs the bands play will have Prost included in order to get people drinking. I found that joining in made it easier to make friends with those around me.

My Biggest Oktoberfest Takeaways

• Reservations aren’t necessarily required, and I would try to stick to a single tent, especially in the evenings.
• Weekdays are usually slower than weekends.
• Bring cash to the festival, tip your servers, and when not at your table, stay out of their way.
• You don’t have to wear traditional clothes, but I do highly recommend it.
• The food at the festival is rather good, but make sure to order it early before the party really gets rowdy.
• Staying in the city center is nice but rather expensive at this point. Try finding accommodation close to one of the S or U Bahn lines that run throughout Munich.

Is Oktoberfest worth it?

I personally had a wonderful time at Oktoberfest. The tables that I ended up at were all different types of people, and the atmosphere of the party was just generally fun to be in. It’s an event where you find yourself starting the day at a table with 5 different nationalities, drinking with some local Germans the next, and finishing the night singing Sweet Caroline with some California girls. The event is one big party, but I was also surprised by how much of a family affair the festival was. Seeing families come together at the festival made you feel like this event still very much had its roots in how it all started. That being a celebration of Bavarian culture for Bavarians. We tourists just happen to get to come along for the ride.

I do plan on attending again, but with a focus on trying to hop between tents more in the early morning hours to get a taste for all the locally brewed beers. I also would like to partake in some of the rides and other attractions the festival has to offer other than just the drinking. It can be an expensive party, but it truly is a unique experience that I don’t believe you can get anywhere else. If you’re someone who loves a social atmosphere and a good beer, I can’t recommend it enough.

Hopefully, this guide has given you a better idea of what to expect when planning your upcoming trip to Oktoberfest. If I forgot anything, please feel free to leave a comment down below. Stay safe and most importantly, have fun. Prost!

If you’d like to learn more about me and my upcoming travels, you can visit my about page.