Munich Oktoberfest
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Oktoberfest - by jacqueline macou from Pixabay
Description
The Oktoberfest is a 16 to 18 days festival held annually in the 2nd half of September until the first Sunday of October on the Theresienwiese grounds in Munich. It is the world's largest Volksfest (beer festival and travelling funfair), attracting close to 6mn people each year. The event is an integral part of Bavarian culture, having been held for more than 200 years. Its origin can be traced to the marriage of King Ludwig with Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen that saw large festivities taking place in front of the city gates. Besides beer - the chief staple and attraction with about 8mn litres consumed during the festival - and some food, visitors can enjoy amusement rides and games. Trivia: only beer meeting the Reinheitsgebot regulations and brewed within the city can be served.
Access & Transport
The Theresienwiese station (U4, U5) is located 100m from the northern entrance and Goetheplatz (U3, U6) is 200 away from the eastern entrance to the grounds. Munich Central station is 1.5km to the north
Instructions & Recommendations
Do not even think of trying to park. A combination of public transport and walking is best. The Old Town and Glockenbachviertel are about 2km / 25mins walk away.
Environmental & Social
Not exactly an event that promotes sustainable and restrained consumption, but they do make some notable efforts by using electricity from renewable sources, recycling water and only allowing reusable cutlery and glasses.
Conclusion
Munich's Oktoberfest is such a renowned event that many tourists will find it hard to visit the city without including it in their itinerary, provided the dates work out. We think it need not be so and that whilst it is an interesting and generally fun event, Munich has a lot more to offer and there are smaller regional beer festivals in Bavaria that will provide a much more local and genuine cultural experience.
Key positive
Can be very fun if you like drinking beer
Key negative
Too crowded and commercial
Having to wait to sit in beer tents
Suitability
Suitable for families during the day but best for adults, especially in the evenings. The beer tents and the Ferris wheel are accessible to wheelchair users
About this Rating
TYPE
Desktop
RESEARCHED IN
June 2024
PROVIDER
Koreval
av. transport time:0h 30m
est. visit time:3h 30m
Start of Season 1:Sep, 21
MONDAY10:00 - 23:00
TUESDAY10:00 - 23:00
WEDNESDAY10:00 - 23:00
THURSDAY10:00 - 23:00
FRIDAY10:00 - 23:00
SATURDAY10:00 - 23:00
SUNDAY10:00 - 23:00
Start of Season 2:Oct, 07
MONDAY -
TUESDAY -
WEDNESDAY -
THURSDAY -
FRIDAY -
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