Celebrate in the Tradition festival tent on the Oide Wiesn
The biggest tent on the Oide Wiesn. Traditional with hearty brass music, whipcrackers, dance floors, and beer from stone mugs. Caution: It’s easy to overlook how much is left in there.
What’s special: coziness and tradition
The Tradition festival tent is a little less colorful than the rest of the Wiesn, but all the more cozy, family-friendly, and – as the name would suggest – traditional. Here, talented folkdance groups aren’t the only ones to dance to hearty brass music; the children of the festival tent guests join them, as well. And because the raised dance floor is set up in the middle of the tent, you have a good view of the little ones. Also impressive are the performances of the Schuhplattler and whipcrackers when they perform their dancing and whipping art. But the visual highlights are the light gray stone jugs with the different blue decorations, from which both Augustiner beer and apple spritzer taste delicious.
The history: historical, but not old
The Tradition festival tent isn’t really that old yet. It was set up for the first time as a “Historical Beer Tent” in 2010 as part of the “Historical Wiesn,” with which the state capital of Munich celebrated a special anniversary: 200 years of Oktoberfest! The people of Munich were so enthusiastic about the historical part of the then-177th Oktoberfest that the city council decided to retain the “Oide Wiesn” as a supplement to today’s celebrations. Since then, it has its own area on the southern part of the Theresienwiese. The tent has been called the “Festzelt Tradition” since 2011.
The audience: families, Munich locals, and fans of old tradition
The Wiesn isn’t for kids? Not true for the Tradition festival tent. Here, the little guests are just as welcome as the big ones. There are even tailor-made offerings for the young audience, such as a Limo fountain for children, a stroller parking lot, and children’s restrooms. But families only make up a portion of the visitors. Traditional costume and customs clubs also like to make their Wiesn excursion into this tent. Accordingly, there is still a lot of dialect to be heard here. A third large group are normal Munich locals who just want to have a cozy chat with a fresh Augustiner from a stein. For them, there’s even a so-called “Munich contingent.” Reservations can be made while supplies last, but only in person at the Ratskeller at Marienplatz 8.
The music: hearty brass music
In contrast to all other tents on the Wiesn, the Tradition festival tent exclusively features traditional Bavarian dance music by the “Münchner Oktoberfest Musikanten” band, under the direction of band leader Wolfgang Grünbauer. Other guest bands and traditional costume associations perform with their own independent programs twice a day – at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
The menu: from organic Wiesn roast chicken to grilled fish on a stick
In the Tradition festival tent, culinary delights are also served of the kind that the name promises: classic delicacies such as schnitzel, pork roast, plum bavesen (a kind of French toast), or Rohrnudeln (oven-baked yeast dumplings) with a honey crust and custard are served. The Steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick) is smoked here just like the old days, on a surface fire, and the sausages are grilled on charcoal. The organic Wiesn half roast chicken costs a considerable sum, but it is served with a green ribbon and eaten with a clear conscience. In the festival tent, Augustiner beer from wooden barrels is served in cool steins. They also have wheat beer – but only in the integrated Franziskaner-Weißbiergarten.
For backseat drivers: lightning struck the Tradition festival tent
On the early evening of the second Wiesn Sunday in 2017, a violent storm hit the festival grounds. It was pouring rain, and lightning even struck the Tradition festival tent. But not into the maypoles bedecked with garlands and twigs or the impressively large five-meter-diameter harvest crown, but into a breaker box. Nobody was injured, and except for the defective device, there was no damage to the festival tent thanks to the lightning protection technology. In spite of the storm, the celebrations continued.
Festzelt Tradition: Reservation, Seats, Music, Beer and Contact
- Host(s): Toni Winklhofer and Peter Wieser
- Address: Wirtsbudenstr.
- Phone: +49 (0)89 21 99 89 77
- Reservation: http://www.oktoberfestzelt-tradition.de/festzelt-tradition-reservieren.html
- Website: http://www.oktoberfestzelt-tradition.de/
- Seating capacity: 5,000
- Seating outside: 3,050
- Brewery: Augustiner Bräu Wagner KG
- Beer: 6.2 % alcohol, 13.7 % original gravity
- Music: “Münchner Oktoberfest Musikanten” under the direction of bandleader Wolfgang Grünbauer, twice daily guest bands
- Special features: Beer from wooden barrels, stone mugs, limo fountain, dance floor and daily performances by traditional costume groups
