The countdown is on, only a few days left until it’s “O’zapft is!” again! So that you are not completely without a plan, we give you an overview of the events at the Wiesn for a successful first Oktoberfest weekend.
First Oktoberfest weekend: Start with the arrival of the Wiesn hosts
This year’s Oktoberfest starts on Saturday, September 20. The opening is traditionally marked by the arrival of the Oktoberfest hosts in the festival tents on the Theresienwiese. They drive through the city with floats on which they symbolically transport the beer to the festival site. The procession starts at 10:35 am on Josephspitalstraße at Sendlinger Tor. The procession is led by the Münchner Kindl and the Lord Mayor on a festively decorated float. The Münchner Kindl is usually a young unmarried woman who was born in Munich.
If you want to watch the procession from the stands, you will need tickets in advance. You can watch from the roadside free of charge. If you can’t be there, you can watch the spectacle on television.
📍 Location: From Josephspitalstraße to the Theresienwiese
📅 Date: Saturday, September 20 from 10:35 am
💶 Price information: Free of charge at the roadside and on television
O’zapft is! The tapping as the starting signal for serving beer
At 12 noon, the beer is tapped in the Schottenhamel tent, the oldest of the festival tents. Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter taps the beer barrel and draws the first beer of this year’s Oktoberfest. This is given to the incumbent Minister President of Bavaria to drink. After the successful tapping, twelve firecrackers are fired in front of the Bavaria. Beer can now officially be served in all festival tents.
To attend the tapping in person, you also need tickets, otherwise you can watch it on TV.
📍 Location: Schottenhamel tent
📅 Date: Saturday, October 22 at 12 noon
💶 Price information: Reservation required or free of charge on TV
Traditional costume and shooting parade
The next parade as part of the Oktoberfest follows directly on Sunday. The traditional costume and marksmen parade starts in Maximiliansstraße near the Maximilianeum and runs over 7 kilometers through the city to the Theresienwiese. Historical costumes and acrobatic performances are on display, accompanied by music. The Münchner Kindl once again leads the procession, this time not on a float but on horseback.
It starts shortly after 10 a.m. and there are various grandstands from which you can watch. You will also need tickets for this. You can of course also watch from the roadside for free.
📍 Location: Start at the Max II monument on the Theresienwiese
📅 Date: Sunday, September 21 from 10 am
💶 Price information: Free of charge
First Oktoberfest weekend for the queer community: Gay Sunday and RoslMontag
Gay Sunday will also take place on the first Oktoberfest weekend, when members of the LGTBQIA* community will meet in the Bräusrosl from 9 am. Gay Sunday has been around for 40 years. It was launched by the gay Münchner Löwen Club (MLC), which is still the organizer today. The club reserves seats on the Bräurosl balcony especially for members of the community.
📍 Location: Bräurosl, balcony
📅 Date: Sunday, September 21 from 09 am
💶 Price information: Reservation required
Due to its popularity, there is an unofficial RoslMontag get-together on Monday in addition to Gay Sunday. There are no reservations, but participation is free of charge. The meeting point is the Bräurosl beer garden and the rear part of the marquee below the balcony.
📍 Location: Bräurosl beer garden and in the marquee under the balcony
📅 Date: Monday, September 22nd
💶 Price information: Free of charge
We wish you a great first Oktoberfest weekend and lots of fun at the 190th Wiesn!