Arriving by air
The airports serving Munich and its region:
- Munich Airport MUC
Connections, terminals and transfer arrangements change — confirm them with the airline and the organiser rather than planning around a fixed transfer time.
All events & mapArts, film & foodOktoberfest
Music, arts & food · Event guide
How to plan for Oktoberfest
Munich's Oktoberfest runs 18 September–3 October 2027 on the Theresienwiese. Entry to the grounds and the tents is free; what you book is a table, and 2027 reservations were expected to open in spring.
- LocationMunich, Germany
- Edition timing18 September–3 October 2027 · Theresienwiese, Munich
- AccessFree entry to grounds and tents; table reservations separate
01 · Event details
Edition and venue
Timing: 18 September–3 October 2027 · Theresienwiese, Munich
Venue or host area: Theresienwiese in central Munich: fourteen large tents and a number of smaller ones, plus the separate Oide Wiesn heritage area and the funfair.
Access: Grounds and tent entry are free, with no ticket needed to walk in and buy food or drink. Table reservations are the paid product, arranged directly with individual tents, and the Oide Wiesn heritage area has historically charged a small entry fee — the current €4 figure is not labelled as a 2027 price. No 2027 reservation inventory was verified.
02 · Plan the visit
Plan around the official access route
The site is served by U4 and U5 to Theresienwiese and by tram, and there is no useful parking — the city runs extra services throughout. Tents fill early in the day and close entry once capacity is reached, so arriving in the afternoon often means not getting in at all. Entry to the grounds and tents is free; what you book is a table, and reservations for 2027 were expected to open by spring.
- Confirm the edition: use the organiser’s latest date and venue announcement, not only a customary month.
- Confirm admission: check whether access is by purchase, ballot, qualification, application or free/public entry; do not assume a ticket includes every venue or session.
- Confirm local logistics: check current transport, accessibility, road closures and arrival instructions with the organiser and relevant local authority.
- Protect flexibility: compare cancellation terms before booking travel around a date or route that is not fully confirmed.
03 · Location
Getting to Munich
Bavaria's capital sits on the Isar with a compact old town, and the Theresienwiese fairground a short U-Bahn ride south-west of the centre.
The venue
Theresienwiese in central Munich: fourteen large tents and a number of smaller ones, plus the separate Oide Wiesn heritage area and the funfair.
The catalogue marker shows Munich, Germany at city or region level only — it is not an entrance, a gate, a course or a transfer route. For the event’s position among its category peers, open the Arts, film & food overview and map.
04 · Overview
What this event is
A sixteen-to-eighteen-day beer festival on the Theresienwiese in Munich, opening in mid-September and ending on the first Sunday in October. Around fourteen large brewery tents and a similar number of smaller ones serve beer brewed by Munich's established breweries, alongside fairground rides, a parade and a food culture of roast chicken, pretzels and sausage.
Why it matters
Oktoberfest is the largest folk festival in the world, with around six million visitors in a typical year. Only Munich's established breweries may serve beer in the tents, it must be brewed within the city limits, and the opening parade and the tapping of the first barrel are the fixed rituals — which is why the event has kept its character despite its scale.
History
The first Oktoberfest was held in 1810 to celebrate the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, on the meadow that still bears her name. It has been held almost every year since, with cancellations for war, cholera and, in 2020 and 2021, the pandemic. The beer tents as they now exist date from the late 19th century, when the fairground moved to permanent structures.
| First held | 1810 |
|---|---|
| 2027 | 18 September–3 October |
| Venue | Theresienwiese, Munich |
| Access | Grounds free; tents by reservation |
| Beer | Munich breweries only |
05 · Research & credits
Sources and photo credit
Evidence and event information reviewed 2026-10-31. Published edition facts are separated from typical timing and historical context.
What we could not verify
- 2027 table-reservation opening dates and each tent's process were not published.
- Whether the Oide Wiesn entry charge remains at the current level for 2027 was not confirmed.
- The 2027 programme, parade dates and any capacity or security changes were not announced.
- Oktoberfest — official site, 18 September–3 October 2027
- muenchen.de — city information on Oktoberfest
Photo credit
- Oktoberfest — kallerna · Theresienwiese Hacker-Festzelt Oktoberfest 2025.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · archival year 2025 · CSS-cropped to 16:10 overview cards
No affiliate links. This guide is for travel planning, not a guarantee of entry or event conditions.
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