Oktoberfest tent guide

The best beer tents Munich has to offer -
it's the Oktoberfest tent guide

BIG BITE: A pretzel seller inside one
of the best beer tents Munich has to
offer - the Augustiner, Munich's
favourite beer.
Pic:constant progression

So many beer tents, so little time…
There are 14 big beer tents (plus lots of smaller ones) at the Munich Oktoberfest and each of them has its own little claim to fame.
Of course they’re not tents of the type you take down to the seaside to go camping for a few days with your mates.
They’re immense wooden structures assembled each year just for the Oktoberfest and taken down again when the party’s over.
Sizes range from the Hofbräu-Festzelt with enough room for 10,000 revellers to the relatively dinky Käfer's Wies'n-Schänke with "only" room for 2,900 inside and out.

You may not actually get to choose – depending on when you go the fest you might just think yourself lucky to get into any tent at all.
But it doesn't really matter, there are no bad eggs here.
When you’re partying the evening away swaying back and forth on a bench amidst a sea of thousands it really doesn’t matter too much which tent you’re in.
Just let yourself get a little caught up in the moment and you'll have a riot.
Here’s an introduction to each of the 14 big tents, with details on how to reserve a table. Most tents now take bookings online, and they get snapped up months ahead for evenings and weekends.
During the week the beer tents open at 10am and on weekends and public holidays at 9am. The tents close at 11.30pm, with the last drinks served at 10.30pm. Käfer’s Wiesn-Schänke and Kuffler’s Weinzelt (the wine tent) are the exceptions: they can stay open until 1am, with last orders half an hour before.

The Marstall

The Marstall took over from the Hippodrom in 2014. Just like it's predecessor, this is THE tent to be seen in if you're rich and famous, play for Bayern Munich or all of the above. It's named after an old horse riding school established a few hundred years ago. There's very much a focus on food, and unique among the tents, you're not allowed to stand on the benches to sing and dance until after 4pm.

The Able family, who run the Marstall Oktoberfest tent. Pic: taken from the Marstall website.

The details for the Marstall
Landlords: Siegfried and Sabine Able, with their daughter Verena Strobl
Seats: about 3,200 inside, plus a beer garden with around 880 seats
Beer: Spaten
Website: marstall-oktoberfest.de
Reservations: Book online through the tent’s website.

The Fischer-Vroni

The Fischer-Vroni. Pic from the
Fischer-Vroni website.

Bavarian food culture revolves around the pig.
Be it Schweinshaxe (pork knuckles), Schweinebraten (roast pork) or Spanferkel (suckling pig), folks down here just can’t get enough of swine.
I respect that because it’s tasty, but there is one Oktoberfest tent that's focused on a totally different culinary tradition.
Fischer-Vroni specialises in Steckerlfisch, piscine pleasures slow-grilled on sticks and served up virtually intact from the pond – minus the guts.
You can gobble it all up until you’re left with a head and tail connected by a fishy spine.
I’ve even seen someone poke out the eyes and eat them too, but don’t be doing that, it’s really, really gross.

The details for the Fischer-Vroni
Landlords: Hans Stadtmüller and Fritz Kustatscher
Seats: about 3,160 inside and 700 outside
Beer: Augustiner, served from wooden barrels
Website: www.fischer-vroni.de
Reservations: Book online through the tent’s website.

The Ochsenbraterei

The Ochsenbraterei. Pic: Wikimedia

Each year over 100 oxen are roasted on long spits in the galley of the Ochsenbraterei. They’re each christened with a name before being spit roasted and you can check them all out on a blackboard to the side of the tent.
It’s a tradition going back to 1881.
Aside from that this tent has a fantastic atmosphere and it’s a top place to party.

The details for the Ochsenbraterei
Landlords: the Haberl family (Antje, Luis and Quirin Haberl)
Seats: about 6,000 inside and 1,650 outside
Beer: Spaten
Website: www.ochsenbraterei.de
Reservations: Book online through the Ochsenbraterei website, or by email to info@ochsenbraterei.de.

The Schottenhamel

The Schottenhamel. Pic CC AbhijeetRane

This is where it all starts, kids.
At high noon on the first Saturday Munich’s lord mayor wields a wooden mallet to whack a tap into the first wooden barrel of each Oktoberfest.
With a cry of "O’zapft is!" – It’s tapped!" can beer be served across the Wiesn.

I've had an awesome time partying
in the Schottenhamel in the past and with any luck I’ll be back this year – it’s got to be one of the best tents at the festival.
It's renowned for attracting a young, flirty set.

The details for the Schottenhamel
Landlords: Christian, Michael F. and Konstantin Schottenhamel
Seats: about 6,300 inside and 2,740 outside
Beer: Spaten
Website: festhalle-schottenhamel.de
Reservations: Through the reservation page on the tent’s website, or email festhalle@schottenhamel.de.

The Hacker-Festzelt

The Hacker-Festzelt. Pic ©Andreas Steinhoff

Probably the best-looking tent on the Wiesn, the Hacker’s been dubbed the "Himmel der Bayern" – "Heaven of the Bavarians".
Banners painted with sky and clouds teeter from the rafters.
A seldom hushed bandstand rises up in the middle of the tent.
The atmosphere is electric. For party people this place really does feel like heaven. It’s also one of the most popular tents so make sure you’re there extra early to get a seat inside.

The details for the Hacker-Festzelt
Landlords: the Roiderer family
Seats: about 6,800 inside and 2,540 outside
Beer: Hacker-Pschorr
Website: www.hacker-festzelt.de
Reservations: Through the reservation page on the tent’s website.

The Schützen-Festzelt

The Schützen-Festzelt.
Pic Andreas Steinhoff

One of the oldest Oktoberfest tents, the Schützen sits under the Bavaria Statue near the southern end of the Wiesn.
Many punters here hail from Bavaria’s deeply traditional southeast corner, called Oberbayern (English: Upper Bavaria).
This is where leather shorts and ankle-slapping dances aren’t just hokey traditions but for many, a way of life.
This old-school clientele bears testament to the type of atmosphere you'll find inside. The Schützen chef’s signature dish is suckling pig (Spanferkel) served with malt beer sauce and potato salad.
The details for the Schützen-Festzelt
Landlords: Eduard, Mathias and Ludwig Reinbold (the family has run the tent since 1979)
Seats: about 4,900 inside and 1,240 outside
Beer: Löwenbräu
Website: www.schuetzen-festzelt.de
Reservations: Through the reservation form on the tent’s website, or email info@schuetzen-festzelt.de.

The Hofbräu-Festzelt

The Hofbräu-Festzelt. Pic CC HGruber

Among the biggest and most famous beer tents at Oktoberfest is the Hofbräu, companion to the world-renowned Hofbräuhaus beer hall in Munich’s old town.
It’s known for being the most international tent.
Aussies, Americans, Japanese and Brits are all to be found here in their throngs.
That’s not to say you won’t encounter a truck load of Bavarians here too, there’s room enough for everyone. The Hofbräu is the only tent with a standing area decked out with high tables for your beers, so you usually stand a good chance of finding somewhere to drink in here.

The details for the Hofbräu-Festzelt
Landlords: Silja, Margot and Günter Steinberg
Seats: about 6,000 inside and 3,000 outside, plus standing room for around 1,000 in front of the band
Beer: Hofbräu München
Website: www.hb-festzelt.de
Reservations: Through the reservations page on the tent’s website.

MORE: Empty Oktoberfest tents - Take a look inside the magnificent beer tents of the Munich Oktoberfest while they're still empty

The Armbrustschützen-Festhalle

The Armbrustschützen-Festhalle.
Pic © Andreas Steinhoff

The name translates to "Crossbow shooters’ tent". It's where Bavaria’s shooting and archery clubs come to play.
As such, the walls are decorated with dead deer antlers and the like.
Though it’s not one of the most popular tents I’ve never had much luck getting in here.

The details for the Armbrustschützen-Festhalle
Landlords: Peter and Katharina Inselkammer
Seats: about 5,800 inside and 1,600 outside
Beer: Paulaner
Website: www.armbrustschuetzenzelt.de
Reservations: Send a request through the form on the tent’s website.

Whatever happened to the Hippodrom?

The Hippodrom. Pic © Andreas Steinhoff

The much-loved, celebrity-pulling Hippodrom is no more – the Marstall took its spot in 2014. Its owner, Sepp Krätz, was found guilty of tax dodging in 2014, and so had his Oktoberfest tent licence revoked. Oh, and he was sentenced to 22 months behind bars and slapped with a €570,000 fine, so let that be a lesson to ya - if you live in Deutschland, pay your taxes!

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