Did You Know Oktoberfest Starts In September? Here's All You Need To Plan This Dream Trip!

Every year, more than seven million thirsty visitors descend on the German city of Munich for a two-and-a-half week celebration featuring parades, fair rides, traditional food and music, and of course, lots of beer!

Oktoberfest can be an exciting event for outsiders to experience Bavarian culture, but it can be hectic and difficult to navigate for the uninitiated, particularly after a few liters of Löwenbräu!

Oktoberfest 2023 is going to be unlike any other and going to be the ultimate bucket list item you need to experience. We’ve got you covered with this guide to 'The Festival' of all festivals!

It All Began With A Wedding!

Oktoberfest began back in 1810 as a series of horse races honouring the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. It was such a big hit that it became an annual event with more activities popping up every year. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that sausages and beer were served. Nowadays, the keg-tapping and countless meaty morsels on offer are the most recognisable aspect of the event, along with the traditional Bavarian garb.

When And Where Is It Happening:

Oktoberfest once again returns September 16 - October 3, 2023 for 18 days of joyous beer swilling! It takes place every year on the largest fairground in Munich, the Theresienwiese. It is adorned, or rather overlooked, by the bronze, 18-metre-high Bavaria statue, on which steps you can perfectly enjoy a break from the hustle of the Oktoberfest! The fairground, where also the Spring Festival or the Winter Tollwood take place at other times of the year, is located quite centrally in Munich, slightly southwest of the city centre.

Schedule of Oktoberfest 2023 events

How To Get There:

For navigation or the online map, enter "Theresienwiese" or "Bavariaring". However, it is better to take the public transport. The nearest underground stations are "Theresienwiese", "Goetheplatz" and "Schwanthalerhöhe"; the S-Bahn station from which you can walk to Oktoberfest quickest is "Hackerbrücke".

• U-Bahn: Take the U4 or U5 to Theresienwiese or Schwanthalerhöhe and follow the crowds of people.

• S-Bahn: Take the S1 – S8 to Hackerbrücke and then walk (10-15 min)

• Streetcar: Line 18 or 19 to Holzapfelstraße or Hermann-Lingg-Straße or Line 16 an 17 to Hackerbrücke

• Ubers and taxis: These can get pricey around the area so you can take a taxi somewhere near a U-Bahn or S-Bahn station then taking public transportation the rest of the way.

Opening Hours:

Beer Serving Hours

Opening day: 12.00 noon – 10.30 pm

Weekdays: 10.00 am – 10.30 pm

Saturday, Sunday & holiday: 09.00 am – 10.30 pm

Daily closing hour: 12.30 am, some tents1.00 am

When To Attend:

1. At the beginning VS. At the end

Both timings are spectacular in their own ways and equally tough to get into (but both are worth their weight in schnitzel).

The Oktoberfest opening ceremony in the Schottenhamel tent marks the official start of Oktoberfest when the Lord Mayor of Munich taps the first keg and shouts, “O’Zapft Is!” – the Oktoberfest equivalent of a green flag being waved on a racetrack.

The Oktoberfest closing ceremony in the Hacker-Pschorr tent is another spectacle to behold! Imagine 10,000 of your new best friends in one huge sing-along. The lights go down; the sparklers are lit; it’s like New Year’s Eve, your 21st birthday, and graduation all rolled into one!

2. Weekdays VS. Weekends

Fridays and weekends are the toughest time to find space in a beer tent. But if this is in your plan for Oktoberfest 2023, be sure to arrive to the Theresienwiese with the rising sun and keep your bum planted on a bench all the livelong day.

During the week (and during the day) is going to be your best bet to easily find a seat in a beer tent. You can even sleep in if you want!

The Main Attractions:

1. The millions of litres of beer

The first thing to mention is the sheer volume of the alcohol – almost 7 million litres of beer are served every year, along with 95,000 litres of wine! Waitresses adorned with the traditional Dirndl and waiters donning Lederhosen ferry giant frothing mugs, called Masskruege, of beer to thirsty attendees. Even this simple act is a spectacle as they are often carrying an unbelievable number at once – the current world record is for 26 full Masskrug!

2. All the great food that'll accompany the beer

The second most exciting attraction is the food!– Bavarians will typically begin a day at the Oktoberfest with some Weisswurst, a white sausage consisting of veal and bacon meat. Lunch might be half a rotisserie chicken (Hendl), a roasted pork knuckle drowned in gravy (Schweinhaxen), or even more sausages. Throughout the day, visitors who feel the pang of drunken hunger can snack on pretzels, roasted almonds or a traditional shredded pancake dish called Kaiserschmarrn.

How To Get The Beer Tent Reservations For Oktoberfest 2023:

To secure a place as a group at one of the highly sought-after beer sets in the tent, you have to book a table online or by phone via the central reservation office of each festival tent. For most tents, reservations are not possible until spring 2023.

Sometimes you can get a free seat if you're lucky, because some of the tables are always kept free for spontaneous visitors, but it pays to make a reservation, especially in the evening or at the weekend. With every reservation, you receive drink and food vouchers on site, which you can use to pay the Oktoberfest waiters.

Book Here

What To Budget For Oktoberfest 2023:

You can expect a litre of beer at Oktoberfest to cost you about INR 1,260 approx (without tip), give or take depending on which tent you’re in. A litre of water and other non-alcoholic drinks cost almost as much! Official Oktoberfest 2023 beer prices listed here.

For Oktoberfest 2023 you’ll also need to budget for:

1. Oktoberfest Food – Menu options and prices at each tent vary but expect to spend between INR 800 - INR 2,690 approx on a meal with a ½ chicken being around INR 1,345 approx.

2. Entertainment – If you’re the kind of person who can stomach carnival rides in the middle of a beer festival, this applies to you.

3. Souvenirs – Like it or not, someone in your group will be going home with a dancing chicken hat!

What To Wear For Oktoberfest 2023:

Traditional Bavarian clothing is where it’s at for Oktoberfest!

For the ladies that means a traditional Bavarian dirndl—white blouse, knee-length (or longer) dress, apron, and comfortable shoes you’re not afraid to spill beer on.

For the gents that means lederhosen—white or plaid button-up shirt, knee socks or calf warmers, some comfortable loafers, and, if you really want to go all out Bavaria, an Alpine hat.

Accommodation For Oktoberfest 2023:

Without a doubt, the one thing that needs to be decided first, after deciding to attend in the first place, is where to stay in Munich for Oktoberfest. For this two-week period, hotels in Munich book up a year in advance in some places.

Some of Munich Oktoberfest hotels include: Four Points by Sheraton, Hotel Senator, Hotel Mirabell, Le Méridien.

In addition to regular ol’ hotels, Munich offers a variety of alternative accommodation like Airbnbs, hostels, the couchsurfing and housesitting community to tap into, and there’s even a campground near the Wiesn.

Cost: Luxury hotels can go for INR 27,000- INR 72,000 approx a night, hostels and campsites start at around INR 5,500 approx a night.

Oktoberfest Etiquette Essentials:

To make sure you don’t feel embarrassed at your first Oktoberfest, follow locals and regular attendee’s simple do’s and don’ts.

DO:

1. Wear the right clothes. Lederhosen and Dirndl are not compulsory, but if you’re going to commit, you should go the whole hog.

2. Pay attention to how you tie your dirndl. There’s a historical code based on the placement of the bow; front-right means you’re married or in a relationship, front-left means you’re single and ready to mingle, and front middle means you’re a virgin. Yes, its still a thing!

3. Eat before you start drinking. There’s a reason the food served in the tents is so hefty and filling.

4. Book a table. You’ll have a much nicer experience and you won’t need to wait in the infamously long lines.

5. Aim for the tent's side entrances to avoid the lines. You’ll still need to wait, but maybe not as long.

6. Take cash. There are very few ATMs available, and you can expect to wait a sobering amount of time to withdraw some cash.

DON'TS:

1. The Lebkuchenherzen (gingerbread hearts) may look cute, but you’re much better off grabbing some Kaiserschmarrn if you’ve got hankering for something sweet.

2. Don’t expect change from the wait staff. They have seriously hectic jobs, so any remainder from the cost of your drinks is assumed to be a tip.

3. Don’t leave it too late to book accommodation. With seven million people in attendance, the rooms are booked up quickly.

4. After several drinks and sausages, avoid visiting the bumper cars or amusement rides.

5. Don’t drive. Parking is a nightmare and if you’re planning to sample the region’s beautiful beers, you won’t be able to drive home anyway.

6. Don’t be surprised by people snorting things all around you – sniffing tobacco is quite common in Bavaria and, since smoking isn’t allowed in the tents, you’ll often see people having a little sniff.

The wonders of Oktoberfest have spread across Germany and across the globe! The second largest Oktoberfest celebration in the world is actually in Kitchener-Waterloo, Canada. You can also find similar copycat events in Berlin, Hannover, Blumenau, London, Pretoria, and countless cities in the United States.

Have you experienced the Oktoberfest? Let us know in the comments below.

For more travel stories and information follow @travelstoriesbytan.

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