On the first Saturday of the Wiesn the beer tents open at 9 am. From 10 am there are non-alcoholic drinks and small bites to eat. At 12 midday the tapping of the barrel takes place in the Schottenhamel beer tent: the Oberbürgermeister taps the first barrel of Wiesn beer and then the beer flows across Oktoberfest and in all the tents into beer mugs.
During the week the large tents at Oktoberfest (apart from the Oide Wiesn) are open from 10 am to 11.30 pm.
The bar always closes at 10.30 pm and the music plays till then. At the weekends and on the public holiday (on October 3rd) the tents open their doors at 9 am.
Exceptions are the Käfer Wiesn-Schänke and Kuffler’s Weinzelt (wine tent). These are allowed to open until 1 a.m., the end of the bar is half an hour before closing time.
In addition to the large festival halls, there are also many small and medium-sized tents, roasting houses and café tents - they open during the week from 10 am (on weekends and holidays from 9 am) and close at 11:30 pm. At 11 pm there's the last beer or wine and the last song.
At the weekends and on the public holiday (October 3rd) some tents can shut their doors at lunchtime: “Wegen Überfüllung vorübergehend geschlossen” (“Closed temporarily due to overcrowding”) is displayed on signs at the entrances. Whether or when you may not be able to enter a tent is difficult to predict; the weather plays a role too: When it’s warm and sunny the tents’ beer gardens are a cozy alternative; when it rains or is windy the tents are often much fuller.
The good news: It is very rare that every tent is closed and they will reopen at some point. With the official Oktoberfest App you can check how full each tent is during Oktoberfest. With a reservation bracelet you can always get into the tent. The entrances for visitors with reservations are at the sides or at the rear of the respective tent.
Please note: When you’re in the tent and briefly want to go outside to meet friends or have a go on the swing ride, take your valuables with you and be aware how full it is in the tent: If the beer tent is closed on your return due to overcrowding, you won’t get in, even if your friends and your half chicken are waiting for you inside.
At the Oide Wiesn, the “nostalgia Oktoberfest” on the south side of the venue, there are four tents: The Tradition festival tent, the Herzkasperl festival tent, the folk singer tent Schützenlisl and a Museum tent. They are open from 10 am to 10:30 pm; beer is served till 9.30 pm.
Since August 1st 2010 a public health protection law has been in place that, among other things, bans smoking in the beer tents at Oktoberfest – including e-cigarettes. If you still want to smoke, you can go outside but be careful that you can get back in on your return.
