The parade to open Oktoberfest parade involves horse-drawn carriages, brewery horse carts carrying beer keg barrels and spectators in traditional Bavarian at Munich’s Theresienwiese festival grounds. (iStock)
It’s festival high season in Germany! And what’s more traditional and beloved than the mother of all Volksfests? There will always be cynics and skeptics among us. Some might say it’s just one big drinking party, with no more real tradition left to it. Hotels are way too expensive and impossible to find. Beer is just not my thing. Who wants to show up not properly dressed? For every excuse as to why this too is not the year, a counter-narrative can be offered. So if you’ve never been to Oktoberfest, perhaps this is the year to finally make it happen when it rolls in and takes over Munich from Sept. 19 through Oct. 4.
Tradition
The Theresienwiese — the open fairgrounds that host Munich’s world-famous Oktoberfest — take their name from a 19th-century bride from Saxe-Hildburghausen, a former historic German state whose land is now part of the federal state of Thuringia. Her groom was Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, later to become King Ludwig I, most famous for having transformed Munich from relative obscurity into a major cultural and artistic capital known as “Athens on the Isar,” as well as for his affair with Lola Montez, a dancer more than three decades his junior, which eventually led to his abdication.
When the 24-year-old Crown Prince took Princess Therese Charlotte Luise Friederike Amalie von Sachsen-Hildburghausen as his lawful wedded wife on Oct. 12, 1810, the entire population of Munich was invited to the celebration. The perfect venue was found for such a massive gathering: a large field just outside the city gates. The highlight of the original event wasn’t quaffing liter mugs of tasty beer, but rather a grand horse race held five days after the wedding and watched by an estimated 50,000 citizens. The party was such a resounding success that the city decided to repeat it the following year, giving rise to the annual tradition attracting visitors from around the world.
Over the decades, the horse races faded into history, to be replaced by the spinning rides, agricultural shows, oompah music and beer tents we know and love today. What does live on is the name of the venue for this historic gathering, officially christened “Theresens Wiese” (Therese’s Meadow) the very year it came into being.
As dictated by tradition, Oktoberfest kicks off with the Grand Entry of the Oktoberfest Landlords and Breweries (Einzug der Wiesnwirte und Brauereien) — to take place on Sept. 19 in 2026. This parade sets off from the Josephspitalstraße (near Sendlinger Tor), moving along Sonnenstrasse, Schwanthalerstrasse and Hermann-Lingg-Strasse before at last reaching the festival grounds. Roughly 1,000 participants take part, including the tent landlords and their families, waitstaff and marching bands. The festively decorated horse-drawn carriages carrying beer barrels from Munich’s big six traditional breweries make for evocative viewing.
The parade’s start time of 10:35 a.m. might seem quite random, but it’s anything but: By royal tradition and city law, the Lord Mayor must tap the first keg with his wooden hammer and shout the words “O’zapft is!” (“It is tapped!”) at 12 p.m. sharp. With this cry, the 191st edition of the Oktoberfest will officially be underway. Before that critical time, no beer is to be served on the Theresienwiese.
Another chance for taking in a parade appears the next day, Sept. 20, when the Traditional Costume and Marksmen’s Parade belches forth a mighty wave of the traditional dress known as Tracht from 10 a.m. The world’s largest procession of its kind, first held in 1835 to honor the silver wedding anniversary of King Ludwig I and Queen Therese, is made up of more than 9,000 marchers and adheres to strict standards meant to preserve its cultural heritage. Participants wear painstakingly preserved, authentic regional clothing representing different eras and regions — historic Dirndls and Kropfband velvet chokers for the ladies, Lederhosen polished by decades of wear, and Loferl, the two-piece set of foot socks and calf warmers for the men. Everyday items from the modern age, including mobile phones, fitness trackers, neon nail polish, tattoos and piercings, must be covered up or tucked out of sight.
Hotels: A couple hundred euro for a creaky bed in a dismal hostel? Partying in Munich doesn’t necessarily mean sleeping there. Opt instead for a hotel room in a city or town along one of the train lines leading directly into the Bavarian capital. Cities and towns in which to try your luck might include Augsburg, Freising, Starnberg, Dachau, Rosenheim, Landshut or Erding. Alternately, consider a village served by frequent bus service: Odelzhausen and Dasing are easily reached by means of the Via ExpressBus X732, which runs along the A8 autobahn in 20-minute intervals from Monday through Saturday. The service delivers passengers to the Munich-Pasing train station, from which any outbound S-Bahn runs to the stop serving the main gate to the Oktoberfest in less than 10 minutes.
Beer alternatives: Kufflers Weinzelt, found right across the walkway from the Löwenbräu-Festzelt, serves up wines and other beverages, from elegant Rieslings to Munich Mules to sparkling Sekts. Bodo’s Bootszelt is the place to go for cocktails, champagne and freshly baked pastries. For a great cup of coffee, look no further than Café Theres, a presence at the Oktoberfest since 1950. Here, coffee is served in a tastefully decorated environment featuring hand-painted murals.
Dirndls on a dime: While brand-new “Tracht” might will set you back hundreds, pockets must not be so deep to purchase an outfit with a few Oktoberfests behind it already. Check out ReSales, purveyors of pre-loved fashion, at their locations on Lindwurmstrasse or Karlsplatz. Flohpalast, located in a building tucked behind Theresienstr. 132, is an Aladdin’s Cave-like thrift store where buying treasure benefits charity.
