Theresienwiese

Theresienwiese: Munich’s Festival Grounds Beyond Oktoberfest

The Theresienwiese is a 420,000 square metre open space on the western edge of Munich’s city centre. For eleven months of the year it’s an unremarkable green area next to a fairground. For two weeks in late September and early October, it becomes one of the most visited places on earth.

Oktoberfest began in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The public was invited to attend horse races on the field outside the city gates, and the festival grew from there. Today it draws around 6–7 million visitors per year, consuming approximately 7 million litres of beer in the process.

The Beer Tents

There are 17 large tents and around 20 smaller ones. Each major tent is run by one of Munich’s traditional breweries — Hofbräu, Augustiner, Paulaner, Löwenbräu, Spaten, and Hacker-Pschorr — and each has a distinct character. Augustiner-Festhalle is considered by many locals to be the most traditionally Bavarian; Hofbräufestzelt is the largest and most internationally famous, frequently full of tourists. Arriving at any tent without a reservation on a weekend evening is largely pointless — the tables fill up hours before, and you won’t get in.

Reservations can be made through each brewery’s website from around the end of March each year. They go fast.

The Beer

The Wiesn serves only Munich-brewed beer in one-litre steins (Maßkrug). A Mass costs around €14–15. The beer itself is a slightly stronger Märzen or festbier, typically around 6% ABV. It tastes better than it probably should after you’ve been standing in a tent listening to brass bands for two hours.

Beyond the Tents

The Wiesn fairground is more extensive than visitors often expect. There are full-size roller coasters, traditional carousels, ghost trains, and a range of fairground rides that have been appearing here for generations. Some ride operators have had pitches at the Wiesn for over a century.

The Bavarian Agricultural Show also runs alongside Oktoberfest in the southern half of the grounds, with livestock competitions, agricultural machinery, and local produce.

The Bavaria Statue

Standing at the top of the field above the tents is the Bavaria, an 18.5-metre bronze figure of a helmeted woman with a lion at her side. Completed in 1850, she was the largest bronze figure in the world at that point. You can climb inside the statue’s head for a view across the festival grounds and the city beyond — entry costs around €4.50. It’s worth it for the strangeness of looking out of a giant statue’s eye sockets at Munich below.

Practical Notes

The nearest U-Bahn station is Theresienwiese (U4/U5), which is overwhelmed during festival opening and closing hours. Plan for crowds and delays. Cash is accepted everywhere; card acceptance has improved but isn’t universal in the tents.

Outside Oktoberfest, the grounds host Frühlingsfest (Spring Festival, late April to early May), a smaller version of the main event but less crowded and with most of the same rides and a few tents. It’s a reasonable alternative if you want the fairground atmosphere without the full Oktoberfest intensity.