Oktoberfest 2026 Reservations
Oktoberfest 2026 runs from 19 September to 4 October 2026 on the Theresienwiese in Munich. All 14 large beer tents take their own reservations directly — there is no central booking system. A standard reservation is a table of 10 for one session and costs roughly €350–€560 including vouchers for two Maß (1L beer, ~€15 each) plus half a roast chicken per guest. Reservations open in mid-to-late January 2026; the most-sought tents (Augustiner-Festhalle, Schottenhamel) sell out within hours. Walk-in entry is possible at every tent but harder at peak times.
Updated 11 May 2026 · Live tent status refreshes hourly
Live reservation status — right now
7 of 14 large tents currently have open reservations. See live status for every tent →
When is Oktoberfest 2026?
Oktoberfest 2026 runs for 16 days from Saturday 19 September through Sunday 4 October 2026. The dates always end on the first Sunday of October, with the festival traditionally running back into late September.
The festival opens with the O'zapft is! ceremony — the Lord Mayor of Munich taps the first barrel at the Schottenhamel tent at exactly 12:00 on opening Saturday. Until that tap, no beer is poured anywhere on the Wiesn. The festival closes with the traditional Böllerschießen (a gun salute) at noon on the closing Sunday.
Notable dates: the second Sunday (27 September 2026) features the Trachten- und Schützenzug parade through Munich. The first Sunday is Rosa Wiesn at Bräurosl (LGBT+ celebration since 1976). Tuesdays are family days.
How Oktoberfest reservations work
There is no central reservation system for Oktoberfest. Each of the 14 large tents is run by a different host family, and each takes reservations directly through its own booking platform. This is the single most common confusion for first-time visitors.
A standard reservation books a table of 10 people for a single time session (lunch, afternoon, or evening) on a single date. You cannot reserve fewer seats; if your group is smaller, you either pay for the full table or book through an aggregator that pools smaller parties at shared tables.
Each reservation includes vouchers for 2 Maß of beer plus a half roast chicken (Hendl) per person. You pay for the vouchers up front (this is the reservation fee). Any food or drink beyond the vouchers is ordered and paid for at the table during the session.
When do Oktoberfest 2026 reservations open?
Most large tents open their online reservation systems in mid-to-late January 2026. Exact dates are not coordinated between tents — some open earlier, some later. There is no central calendar, so monitoring each tent's reservation page individually is the only reliable approach.
The tents fill at very different rates:
- Sell out within hours: Augustiner-Festhalle, Schottenhamel (opening-day reservations especially)
- Sell out within weeks: Hofbräu-Festzelt, Hacker-Festzelt, Paulaner Festzelt (evening + weekend sessions)
- Available into spring: Schützen-Festzelt, Armbrustschützenzelt, Marstall Festzelt, Fischer-Vroni (especially weekday lunch slots)
- Walk-in only (no evening reservations in 2026): Löwenbräu-Festzelt restricts online reservations to weekday lunch sittings
The fastest way to track which tents currently have open reservations is the live status tracker on this site — we scrape every tent hourly and show which sessions still have availability.
How much do Oktoberfest reservations cost in 2026?
A reservation for a table of 10 in 2026 costs approximately:
| Session | Price per table of 10 | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday lunch | €350–€420 | 2 Maß + half Hendl per person |
| Weekday evening | €420–€500 | 2 Maß + half Hendl per person |
| Weekend / opening day | €500–€560 | 2 Maß + half Hendl per person |
A Maß (1 litre) of Oktoberfest beer ranges from ~€14.50 (Augustiner) to ~€15.30 (Hofbräu) at 2026 prices. Käfer Wiesn-Schänke food prices are roughly double — Wiener Schnitzel ~€32, lobster ~€45, champagne €120+ per bottle — reflecting its gourmet-tent positioning.
All 14 large tents at Oktoberfest 2026
Sorted by total capacity. Click any tent for full details, reservation status, prices, sessions, menu, and live availability.
| Tent | Brewery | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paulaner Festzelt (Winzerer Fähndl) | Paulaner | 10,900~€15/Maß | Available |
| Festhalle Schottenhamel | Spaten | 10,000~€15/Maß | Not Yet Open |
| Hofbräu-Festzelt | Hofbräu | 9,918~€15/Maß | Available |
| Hacker-Festzelt (Himmel der Bayern) | Hacker-Pschorr | 9,350~€15/Maß | Available |
| Augustiner Festhalle | Augustiner | 8,500~€14.50/Maß | Not Yet Open |
| Löwenbräu-Festzelt | Löwenbräu | 8,500~€15/Maß | Sold Out |
| Pschorr-Bräurosl | Hacker-Pschorr | 8,420~€15/Maß | Available |
| Ochsenbraterei | Spaten | 7,500~€15/Maß | Available |
| Armbrustschützenzelt | Paulaner | 7,430~€15/Maß | Available |
| Schützen-Festzelt | Löwenbräu | 6,370~€15/Maß | Not Yet Open |
| Marstall Festzelt | Spaten-Franziskaner | 4,200~€15/Maß | Available |
| Fischer-Vroni | Augustiner | 3,862~€14.50/Maß | Sold Out |
| Käfer Wiesn-Schänke | Paulaner | 3,100~€15/Maß | Not Yet Open |
| Weinzelt (Wine Tent) | — | 1,900 | Not Yet Open |
Can I go to Oktoberfest without a reservation?
Yes — most visitors do not have one. Reservations cover only a portion of seats in each tent; the rest are first-come, first-served for walk-ins. The timing window matters more than the strategy.
The most walk-in-friendly large tents in 2026:
- Hofbräu-Festzelt — the only large tent with a dedicated standing-room area (the Stehkurve), exclusively for walk-ins
- Löwenbräu-Festzelt — in 2026 only takes reservations for weekday lunch; evenings and weekends are walk-in only
- Schottenhamel — has the largest beer garden on the Wiesn (4,000 seats, all unreserved)
- Schützen-Festzelt — quieter location near the Bavaria statue, walk-in friendly throughout the day
Once a tent reaches capacity (often by 11:00 on weekends), the doors close and a police-managed queue forms outside. Returning later in the day rarely works — the queue does not move quickly.
Booking strategy: how to actually land a reservation
- Pick 2–3 tents in priority order.Don't pick one — the most sought tents (Augustiner, Schottenhamel) sell out faster than the system can process most carts. A backup is essential.
- Subscribe to availability alerts. Our site emails you the moment a tent on your chosen date opens — most useful for the post-January resale window when canceled reservations come back to the system.
- Be online from early January.Each tent announces its reservation-opening date on its own website 1–2 weeks ahead. Bookmark every tent's reservation page and check weekly through December.
- When reservations open, refresh aggressively. Augustiner sells out in under an hour for weekday lunch slots. Have your details (name, email, phone, payment) pre-typed in a doc to paste in.
- Consider weekday lunch instead of weekend evening. Same tent, same atmosphere for the first hour, much easier to book, and €100+ cheaper per table.
- Group enquiries: email the host family directly.Larger parties (20+ people) can sometimes secure tables outside the online system. Each tent's contact details are on its individual tent page.
Live tracker — currently 7 of 14 tents available
We monitor all 14 large tents' reservation systems hourly and show real-time availability. Use the tracker to find which tents still have open sessions for your dates, or subscribe to be emailed the moment your dates open at any tent.
Frequently asked questions
When does Oktoberfest 2026 take place?▼
Oktoberfest 2026 runs from Saturday 19 September to Sunday 4 October 2026 — 16 days. The Lord Mayor of Munich taps the first barrel at the Schottenhamel tent at 12:00 on opening Saturday and calls "O'zapft is!", which is the official start. The festival ends with the traditional Böllerschießen gun salute at noon on the closing Sunday.
When do Oktoberfest reservations open for 2026?▼
Most large tents open their online reservation systems in mid-to-late January 2026. Each tent runs its own booking platform — there is no central reservation system. Augustiner-Festhalle and Schottenhamel sell out fastest (often within hours); easier tents like Schützen-Festzelt, Armbrustschützenzelt, and Marstall remain bookable into the spring.
How much does an Oktoberfest reservation cost?▼
A standard reservation is for a table of 10 people and includes vouchers for two Maß (1L beer) plus half a roast chicken (Hendl) per guest. Prices typically run €350–€560 per table depending on the tent, session, and date. Opening weekend and weekend evenings cost the most; weekday lunch slots are the cheapest.
What is included in an Oktoberfest reservation?▼
Each guest receives vouchers for two Maß (two 1-litre beers, valued ~€15 each at 2026 prices) and a half roast chicken (Hendl). Vouchers are only valid during the booked session. Anything beyond that — additional beer, food, sides — is ordered separately at table.
Can I go to Oktoberfest without a reservation?▼
Yes — most visitors do not have a reservation. Every tent reserves a portion of seats for walk-ins, and the Hofbräu-Festzelt has the only standing-room area (the Stehkurve) which is exclusively for walk-ins. For weekday lunch, arriving by 12:00 usually works. For weekend evenings, arrive by 10:00–11:00 or expect to queue. Once a tent is at capacity the doors close.
Which Oktoberfest tent is best for first-time visitors?▼
For the loudest, most "as-seen-on-TV" experience, Hofbräu-Festzelt is the canonical choice — internationally crowded, English sing-alongs, the Stehkurve standing area for walk-ins. For a more authentic Münchner experience, Augustiner-Festhalle is the locals' favourite (and the hardest reservation). For the best-looking interior, Hacker-Festzelt ("Heaven of the Bavarians") has a painted Bavarian-sky ceiling.
How do I book Oktoberfest reservations?▼
Each of the 14 large tents has its own online booking site. The cleanest workflow: decide on 2–3 tent preferences in priority order, monitor each tent's reservation page from early January, and book within the first hour of the system opening. For Augustiner and Schottenhamel especially, refreshing the booking page when reservations open is non-negotiable. Group enquiries (>10 people) can email the host families directly.
What is the dress code at Oktoberfest?▼
There is no formal dress code, but the overwhelming majority of guests wear traditional Bavarian Tracht — Lederhosen for men, Dirndl for women. You can attend in regular clothes, but expect to feel underdressed. Higher-end tents like Käfer Wiesn-Schänke see higher-quality Tracht; the international tents are more relaxed.
How early should I arrive without a reservation?▼
Weekday lunch (10:00–15:00): arrive by 12:00–13:00. Weekday evening (after 17:00): arrive by 15:00 to be safe. Weekend lunch: arrive by 11:00. Weekend evening: arrive by 10:00 or earlier, especially for Hofbräu, Augustiner, and Hacker. Once a tent reaches capacity, the doors close and police-managed queues form outside.
Can children attend Oktoberfest tents?▼
Yes, until 20:00 unaccompanied or 22:30 with parents. Most tents are family-friendly during weekday lunch sessions; evenings and weekends are not appropriate for children. Tuesdays are traditionally "Family Day" with discounted prices on rides and food across the festival grounds.