Tomorrow is the big day, and Oktoberfest kicks off its 191st edition. For some, it’s a cause for celebration; for others, a nightmare. The opening of the festival also affects those of you who use public transit— in both positive and negative ways. Read on to find out where you should expect public transit restrictions at the start of Oktoberfest and what good news there is nonetheless.
Restrictions on the procession to the Theresienwiese
Oktoberfest traditionally begins with the procession of the Wiesn tavern owners and breweries to the Theresienwiese. This procession will take place on Saturday morning, September 19, starting at Josephspitalstraße and proceeding via Sonnenstraße, Schwanthalerstraße, Hermann-Lingg-Straße, St.-Pauls-Platz, and the Bavariaring to the festival grounds. As a result, there will be closures and detours on tram and bus routes between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. The section between Sendlinger Tor and Stachus will be completely closed during this time. Here are the changes you can expect:
- Trams 16 & 17: Detour via Marienplatz and the Maxmonument
- Tram 18: Service interruption between Karlsplatz and Sendlinger Tor
- Tram 27: Runs only as far as Stachus
- Tram 28 & Münchentram: Service will not begin until 12 p.m.
- Bus 52: Runs only between Tierpark and Baaderstraße
- Bus 62: Detour via Roecklplatz and Corneliusbrücke
- CityRing: Service interruption between Hauptbahnhof Nord and Goetheplatz
Additional restrictions regarding Sunday’s parade
On Sunday, September 20, you should expect even stricter public transit restrictions at the start of Oktoberfest. That’s when the traditional traditional costume and riflemen’s parade takes place between Maximilianstraße and Theresienwiese. The parade will proceed via Odeonsplatz, Brienner Straße, Promenadenplatz, Lenbachplatz, Stachus, Sonnenstraße, Schwanthalerstraße, and Herzog-Heinrich-Straße to Schubertstraße. The service disruptions and detours on Sunday will last longer than on Saturday, in some cases extending into the afternoon.
These restrictions are in effect until 3:30 p.m.
- Tram 16: Runs between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on the shortened route from Romanplatz to Sendlinger Tor, and from 8:30 a.m. onward only as far as Karlsplatz
- Trams 17 & 18: Service interruption between Karlsplatz and Sendlinger Tor
- Trams 19 & 21: Service interruption between Hauptbahnhof and Max-Weber-Platz
- Trams 27 & 28: Running only as far as Karlsplatz
- Munich Tram: Service Begins at 4 p.m.
- CityRing: Service interrupted between Hauptbahnhof and Goetheplatz
Additional restrictions in effect on Sunday:
- Bus 100: Will not run to Odeonsplatz between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
- Bus 132: Shortened route between Forstenrieder Park and Fraunhoferstraße between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
- Bus 153: Shortened route to the university between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
When surface transportation will actually resume normal operations depends on when the police clear the route . Furthermore, during the entire Oktoberfest, bus 134 will only run as far as the Schwanthaler Höhe stop. The Alter Messplatz and Theresienhöhe stops will therefore be omitted.
Expanding Public Transportation for Oktoberfest
Even though the public transit restrictions at the start of the Wiesn may be annoying, fortunately there’s still some good news. To kick off Oktoberfest, the Poccistraße and Goetheplatz subway stations will reopen, so the U3 and U6 lines will run as usual again. This means you won’t need to rely on the SEV for the time being.
In addition, 230 extra staff members will be on duty daily, and the MVG is putting in a total of 4,000 extra hours to get you to the festival via public transit. Even employees from Hamburg’s Hochbahn are visiting Munich to actively support the operations. The escalators at the Theresienwiese station are increasing their speed from 0.5 to 0.6 meters per second to move the crowds more quickly. Nevertheless, you should use alternative routes to get to Oktoberfest whenever possible.
