Where the lion roars: Where 1860-Fans, Italians, and a lot of tradition are
Well roared, lion. The brewery’s heraldic animal sits 4.5 meters tall above the tent entrance. And it attracts, above all, the Italian
What guests can expect at the Löwenbräu-Festzelt
What makes it special: The lion that roars “Löööwenbräu”
This tent is impossible to miss, both visually and acoustically, thanks to its imposing four-and-a-half-meter lion, which has been guarding the entrance since 1949 and roars “Löööwenbräu” loudly every minute. Children, who tend to enjoy the beer tents from the outside, especially love the lion – and are a little afraid of it. The Löwenbräu tent is also a real eye-catcher with its 37-meter-high lion tower, which can be seen from far away. In keeping with the mascot and the blue and white tent, regular visitors to the Löwenbräu festival tent include the fans and players of TSV 1860 Munich — once a lion, always a lion!
The history: Since 1979 under the management of the Hagn & Spendler family
The Löwenbräu-Festzelt first appeared at Oktoberfest in 1910. Stephanie Spendler has been the landlady of the Löwenbräu-Festzelt since 1999, taking over from her father, veteran Ludwig “Wiggerl” Hagn. Wiggerl Hagn had been the landlord of the brewery tent since 1979 and, prior to that, had been running the Schützen-Festzelt, where Löwenbräu beer is also served, since 1953, initially alongside his mother. Since 2023, Stephanie Spendler has been running the beautiful festival tent with its impressive barrel vault under the tent canopy together with her son Lukas Spendler.
The audience: “Sechzger” meet tourists at Löwenbräu
Today, around 8,500 people can fit into the Löwenbräu Festzelt and beer garden. The lion has always been a magnet for fans of TSV 1860 München. But this is also where a diverse crowd of tourists meets long-established “Giasinger” locals. If you want to collect country points and enjoy chatting in English or Italian, Löwenbräu is the place for you. Together with the Hofbräuzelt, the tent offers the greatest mix of nationalities. From Italian tour groups to well-traveled Australians, everyone is represented here. And since most tourists are not as experienced in matters of original wort as the local festival visitors, the party starts much earlier here than in other tents.
Gallery: Löwenbräu-Festzelt
The music: the legendary “Hey Jude” under the tent sky
The atmosphere in the Löwenbräu-Festhalle rises when the band “Die Heldensteiner,” under the direction of Günter Pilzweger, pulls visitors from the beer benches. Naturally, the musicians have all the Oktoberfest classics in their repertoire: from “Fürstenfeld” to “Skandal im Sperrbezirk,” every Oktoberfest hit is represented to get guests dancing. The in-house cover version of the Beatles classic “Hey Jude” is legendary, and one of the best musical performances at Oktoberfest.
The menu: regional meat and traditional dishes
The Löwenbräu menu offers everything that the hearts of traditional Oktoberfest guests desire: from the Lower Bavarian duck with potato dumplings to pork sausages with barreled sauerkraut. Here the cuisine of the past is upheld with ox bouillon, breast of veal, and sweetbread sausage. But vegans can also get their money’s worth with Carinthian porcini noodles. One specialty is the “Bratreindl” for two people: a roasting pan combining all the delicacies from knuckle of pork, to duck, and suckling pig. The supplying butcher Markus Bauch is an institution on the Munich wholesale market.
For backseat drivers: celebrate sustainably
In the Löwenbräu-Festzelt, great importance is attached to environmental protection. Disposable tableware is not used at all, and the tent’s own water recycling system recycles the water from the beer mug dishwasher for the toilets. The water costs saved this way are donated! The 16,000 light bulbs in the “tent sky” were already converted to LED in 2011. This commitment has been awarded the Free State of Bavaria’s Gold Medal for Environmental Protection several times. The Oktoberfest can be so green!
Löwenbräu-Festzelt: Reservation, Seats, Music, Beer and Contact
- Festival host(s): Stephanie and Lukas Spendler
- Address: Wirtsbudenstr. 14
- Phone: + 49 (0) 89 5007 7530
- Reservation: https://www.loewenbraeuzelt.de/reservierungen/
- Website: https://www.loewenbraeuzelt.de/
- Seating: 5,700
- Seating outside: 2,800
- Brewery: Löwenbräu
- Beer: Alc. 6.1 % vol., 13.8 % wort
- Music: The Heldensteiner under the direction of Günter Pilzweger
- Special: Environmentally friendly - the rinse water from the glasswashers is recycled for flushing the toilet
