What Is Oktoberfest? Inside the World's Biggest Beer Festival

The Wedding That Started It All

Oktoberfest began as a wedding party. In October 1810, Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen, and Munich residents were invited to celebrate with horse races on the fields outside the city. The party was such a hit that locals repeated it the following year, and it kept growing until the horse races faded out and the beer tents took over completely.

Munich 2026: Dates, Location, and What to Expect

The 2026 edition marks the 191st Oktoberfest, running from September 19 through October 4 at the Theresienwiese fairgrounds in Munich. The festival always opens with a parade of landlords and breweries, followed by a ceremonial moment everyone waits for: Munich's mayor taps the first keg and shouts "O'zapft is!", meaning "it's tapped," which officially signals that the beer can start flowing.

Tents, Beer Mugs, and Local Brews

Oktoberfest runs almost entirely on beer from just six official Munich breweries: Paulaner, Spaten, Hacker-Pschorr, Augustiner, Hofbräu, and Löwenbräu. It is served in one-liter mugs called a Maß. The beer itself is traditionally a Märzen, a smooth, medium bodied lager originally brewed in March and stored until the fall celebration.

Dirndls and Lederhosen: The Dress Code Nobody Enforces

You will not be turned away for showing up in regular clothes, but most locals and a large share of visitors dress in traditional Bavarian outfits. Women typically wear a dirndl, a fitted dress with an apron, while men wear lederhosen, the classic leather shorts with suspenders. One small detail locals love pointing out to tourists: the side you tie a dirndl's apron bow on is said to signal relationship status, though most people these days wear it wherever is comfortable.

Learn the German Words You'll Hear at Oktoberfest

Half the fun of Oktoberfest is picking up a handful of German words that instantly make you feel like less of a tourist:

• Prost: Cheers, said before every sip

• Wiesn: the local nickname for Oktoberfest itself, short for Theresienwiese

• Zelt: tent, referring to the massive beer halls scattered across the grounds

• Maß: the one liter beer mug everyone is holding

• Ein Bier, bitte: "One beer, please," arguably the most useful phrase of the day

Picking up vocabulary this way, tied to an actual experience, tends to stick far longer than memorizing a list at random.

How to Talk About It in English?

If German is not your first language and you want to explain Oktoberfest to English-speaking friends, a few natural phrases help:

• "It's basically a giant beer festival with huge tents and live music."

• "Everyone dresses up in traditional outfits, dirndls and lederhosen."

• "The beers are enormous, like a full liter in one mug."

• "It's touristy, but honestly one of the most fun trips I've taken."

Being able to describe a cultural experience like this naturally, instead of translating word for word, is one of the clearer signs of real fluency. Learna's learn English page is built around exactly that kind of situation-based speaking practice, and the Travel English track focuses specifically on the phrases you need while explaining a trip like this abroad.

Beyond Munich: Oktoberfest Around the World

Munich is the original, but Oktoberfest has spread far past Bavaria. In 2026, New York hosts its own celebration at Central Park's SummerStage on September 19, with gates opening at 1:00 PM. In the United States, Cincinnati's "Oktoberfest Zinzinnati" draws more than 700,000 visitors annually, making it the largest Oktoberfest outside Germany, while smaller but beloved versions pop up every year in places like Leavenworth, Washington and Helen, Georgia.

Fun Facts That Surprise Most People

• Paris Hilton has been permanently banned from Oktoberfest since 2006, after she promoted a canned wine brand while wearing a dirndl, which locals felt disrespected the tradition

• Festival-goers who have had far too much beer are affectionately called Bierleichen, literally "beer corpses"

• About 75% of attendees are locals from Munich and the surrounding region, not international tourists

• The horse races that started it all continued every year until 1960, long after the beer tents had become the main event

Tips for First Time Visitors

• Arrive early on weekdays if you want a table in one of the big tents, since weekends fill up fast

• Bring cash, since some tents and stalls do not accept cards

• Pace yourself: the beer is stronger than what most people are used to, closer to 6% alcohol

• Check current bag policies before you go, since backpacks and large bags have been restricted at points for security reasons

• Two full days is enough to get a real feel for the festival, though many visitors wish they had booked a third