Ultimate Oktoberfest Survival Guide: Everything You Need to Know

Stepping into Oktoberfest for the first time is like entering a whirlwind of Bavarian culture. You will see steins overflowing with beer and lively oompah bands. Thousands of festival-goers are dressed in dirndls and lederhosen. It’s a bucket list worthy experience. This ultimate Oktoberfest survival guide of everything you need to know will help you navigate the crowds and have an amazing celebration.

Basics

There is always basic information you need when planning an epic vacation. For Oktoberfest, there are only a couple, but they are important.

Oktoberfest will be held from September 20th-October 5th, 2025. Surprised it starts in September? You aren’t alone! Many people are surprised when they hear the dates.

The festival first began in 1810. It was a wedding celebration for Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese. It took place in mid-October. As the festival grew larger, the dates changed to September. This change took advantage of the warmer weather. It still crossed into October.

The festival takes place at Theresienwiese. It is a large open area on the outskirts of Munich. However, it is still easily accessible by public transportation. The grounds are situated in the Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt district near Old Town. Knowing the area and districts will help you when determining where you would like to stay during your Bavarian adventure.

Book Early

There are a couple of things you need to book early if you want to have the best experience possible.

Hotels

Hotels fill up quickly during Oktoberfest. You will want to book yours as early as possible. While you can stay close to the festival, it is not necessary. You can save money by staying in a different district in Munich. As long as you are close to the U line, you will manage to easily reach your destination.

Thersienweise is on the U4 & U5 subway lines. When looking at hotels, check the location to make sure you are within walking distance of a station. This way, you will be capable of travel easily and cheaply.

Tents

The other thing you need to consider booking early is a tent reservation. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as just booking two seats at a table. You will need to research the tents. More on that later. If you decide to book, you are booking the entire table. This means you have 10 seats for your closest friends to join you in drinking and dancing.

In 2024, the tables were $400 for the 10 tickets or seats. Each ticket provided a seat for the entire evening, one liter of beer and a roast chicken dinner. Surprised it isn’t brats? Yeah, I was too. The seat for evening is the main thing you are buying. The tents are very crowded. It will be near impossible to secure seats for a large group without a tent reservation.

For our trip, it was just Chris and I, so we opted not to reserve a table. It is much easier to find a table for two than a group of six or more. It’s a jovial group, often times if there are open spots, you can ask to join. Just be sure to offer to cover the cost of your seats.

Plan Ahead

Now that you have your room booked and a tent reserved, you can start planning the rest of your trip.

Read Up on the Tents

There are many misconceptions about Oktoberfest-like it being held during October. Well, one other belief is there is one large tent or just a few. In reality, there are 14 large tents and 21 smaller tents, and each tent is known for something different.

The fact that there are 6 Bavarian brewers hosting the 14 large tents adds to the confusion. This means there is more than one Paulaner or Lowenbrau tent. If you have a specific tent you are interested in, make sure it is the correct one. Avoid ending up in “the wrong Paulaner tent” by mistake. Here are the six Bavarian brewers.

• Paulaner
• Lowenbrau
• Hofbrau
• Augustiner
• Hacker-Pschorr
• Spaten

The smaller tents offer something different than the large tents making them worthwhile to visit. Look for the tents that offer desserts and coffee or wine and cocktails to break up the beer and pretzels. Even if you don’t have a table reservation, many have walk up windows. This way, you can try their food and drink while walking through the festival.

Dress for Fun

I can’t emphasize this enough, wear the dirndl and lederhosen! There is nothing that will make you fit in with the crowd more than wearing the authentic dress. There are so many to choose from. You want to plan early to make sure you have the one you want.

Note: DO NOT wear the cheap Halloween type costumes, especially the oversexualized ones for women. The authentic dress is Bavarian tradition, and you don’t want to belittle that by wearing something that is insensitive.

I had NO idea how expensive dirndls and lederhosen can be. You can spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on the full ensemble. They are absolutely gorgeous and beautifully made, but alas, that wasn’t in my budget. Thankfully, there are many budget friendly options to choose from.

If you are looking for something cost friendly yet stylish, here are a couple of suggestions. This one is very much like the one I wore in Munich last year. If I were going again this year, I would add this one to my wardrobe.

For the men, this is a good example of what traditional lederhosen would be. You definitely want to get the socks and shirt to finish the look. I love the traditional loafers that the men wear, but they aren’t necessary or practical for packing. Yet, if you have the room in your luggage, go for it!

Helpful Hints

This wouldn’t be an ultimate Oktoberfest survival guide with everything you need to know without including a few helpful hints and information.

Take Cash

In this world of touchless payment, cash is still king at Oktoberfest. Yes, there are ATMs on property. Nonetheless, to guarantee the best exchange rate, plan ahead and arrive with cash.

If reserving a table for 10 isn’t in your plans, and it does not fit your budget, you will be paying for your food and beer individually. Using last year’s prices as a guide, you can expect to pay the following:

• Liter of beer- 13.60-15.30 Euro
• Roast chicken dinner- 20.50-22.50 Euro
• Pretzel (Brezn)- 4.00-8.00 Euro
• Bratwurst- 3.00-6.00 Euro

Be Ready to Order

Okay, this one caught me completely off guard. As soon as you sit down, one of the servers will come over and be ready to take your order. In every tent we visited, it was almost immediate. If you do not drink beer, like me, decide what you would like to order right away. Otherwise, they will assume you want beer.

I would suggest the non-beer drinkers check out the tent offerings before they arrive. This way you know what nonalcoholic beverages are available. The selections are pretty similar from tent to tent making it easy to choose what you want in each location. Almost every tent will have a sparkling water and apple cider or juice available.

One Type of Beer

How can this be? You are in Germany, the land of beer! I know, I thought the same thing, but it is true. The brewers make a special fest bier that is only available in their respective tents. Chris, who enjoys beer, said each fest bier is very similar. There wasn’t a noticeable difference between them. With that said, he also commented that they were all very good.

Another surprising fact, at least to us, is that the German fest bier is lighter. It is lighter than the Oktoberfest beer sold in the US. The Marzan beer we associate with Oktoberfest is not what they serve in the tents.

Not only is there one style of beer, but there is also only one size served–one liter! I have read that the fest bier is generally lighter. It is a more drinkable beer, making it easier to consume the liter beer at Oktoberfest.

Use Public Transportation

Public transportation is your friend during Oktoberfest. Actually, for your entire trip in Munich. The festival is easily reached from the U4 and U5 subway lines. Start the celebration early by jumping on the subway with fellow beer lovers decked out for a night of merriment.

Go During the Week

The one best piece of advice I can give is to go to Oktoberfest during the week. This gives you the best chance to experience multiple tents, both large and small without the crushing crowds. At night during the week, you can sit at a table in one of the large tents. We found this to be possible for two people. Weekends bring shoulder to shoulder crowds making it difficult to find a seat.

Opening day and the closing weekend are also super crowded. If crowds aren’t your thing, stay away from both. You will enjoy the atmosphere of the festival without the overwhelming crowds.

Leave the Accessories Behind

Unless it is crazy cold or raining, I would suggest leaving coats in your room. Alternatively, you will see many women wearing light cardigan sweaters that match their dirndl. As long as you aren’t going to be taking it off and on, that’s fine. Otherwise, you run the risk of forgetting, losing or having beer spilled on whatever you take. There is also a high likelihood it will end up on the floor.

The same goes for purses or bags. I wouldn’t take a large bag or backpack to the festival. A very small crossbody that I would keep money, ID and my phone in worked well. I kept it on me at all times, mostly so I wouldn’t walk off and forget it.

Wear Comfortable Shoes

I am a shoe girlie, so this one was difficult. I wasn’t thrilled with wearing sneakers, albeit stylish, with my dirndl. Still, once I got there, I was so glad I had on comfortable shoes. There is quite a bit of walking and if there is rain, it’s messy. I think you will be glad you chose comfort over pure style. Something like this would work well.

Be Ready to Join the Fun

Oktoberfest is a vibrant celebration of people from all over the world coming together to celebrate Bavarian beer, food and traditions. This is not the time to sit back and keep to yourself. Strangers become friends as entire tents sing along with the band. I never expected to be singing Sweet Caroline and Jolene at Oktoberfest. But there I was, singing along with the crowd.

The one thing you can’t do in the tents is stand on the table. You can stand on the benches, but not the table. As soon as you do, you will be expected to chug your beer. When you are finished, security will be politely waiting for you to escort you out of the tent. A hefty price to pay if you reserved a table for the night.

Lastly, Just Go!

I can’t emphasize enough to just go! It will be an experience that will give you cherished memories. Make plans now to join in the dancing, singing and indulging. Whether you are a beer drinker or not, everyone will have fun at Oktoberfest.

Save this ultimate Oktoberfest survival guide. It holds everything you need to know so you are well prepared for your first festival. Now, all you have to do is HAVE FUN!

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