Oktoberfest 2026

Oktoberfest by the numbers

Every figure links to where it came from. Attendance for an event that has not happened is a projection, and each row says so rather than presenting it as a count.

• Dates19 Sep to 4 Oct

  Official City of Munich site. Sixteen days at the Theresienwiese. Despite the name, most of it falls in September. Oktoberfest

• Edition191st

  Described by the organiser as the world's largest folk festival. It has run, with interruptions, since 1810. Oktoberfest

• OrganiserCity of Munich

  Run by the city itself rather than a commercial promoter, which is why entry to the grounds is free. Oktoberfest

• VisitorsNot published

  No attendance figure was carried on the page checked, so none is stated. Very large numbers circulate; they are not quoted here as the organiser's own. Oktoberfest

What is Oktoberfest?

Oktoberfest is the world's largest folk festival, held on the Theresienwiese in Munich and run by the city itself. The 2026 dates are 19 September to 4 October, the 191st edition. It is in this directory for a practical reason rather than a commercial one: it overlaps the German business calendar, it is the single biggest thing that happens to Munich hotel prices all year, and anyone attending Bits & Pretzels is attending an event held on its grounds.

Who goes to Oktoberfest?

Predominantly a public audience, Bavarian and international. There is no trade component and no conference. Corporate tables in the tents are booked by companies for client entertaining, often a year ahead, which is the only sense in which it functions as a business event.

Oktoberfest side events

Bits & Pretzels, the founders festival, runs 28 to 30 September 2026 in the Festhalle Schottenhamel on the Oktoberfest grounds and is a separate ticketed event with its own organiser. Beyond that the tents themselves are the programme. Aspire runs nothing here.

Oktoberfest tickets and costs

Entry to the grounds is free; you pay for what you eat and drink. Tables in the tents are reserved rather than ticketed, reservations open months ahead and the good ones go to companies and regulars, and turning up without one on a weekend evening means queuing or standing. Weekday afternoons are far easier. The festival runs sixteen days including three weekends.

Getting to Theresienwiese

The Theresienwiese has its own U-Bahn station and is a short ride from Munich Hauptbahnhof. Munich Airport is about 45 minutes by S-Bahn. During the festival the surrounding streets and stations are extremely busy, particularly at closing, so allow far more time than the map suggests.

Where to stay for Oktoberfest

Anywhere on the U-Bahn, and book many months ahead. This is the hardest accommodation market of any event in this directory: Munich fills completely for sixteen days and rates rise across the whole city, not just near the grounds. Staying outside Munich and commuting in by S-Bahn or regional rail is normal practice.

What to know before booking Oktoberfest

The name misleads on timing: most of Oktoberfest happens in September, and only the last few days fall in October. For anyone travelling to Munich on business in that window the relevant fact is accommodation. Rates rise several times over across the whole city and availability disappears months ahead, which affects Bits & Pretzels attendees and anyone at Messe Muenchen in the same period.

Oktoberfest: common questions