Oktoberfest 2026: Setup Work at the Theresienwiese
With 82 days to go before the opening, setup for the world’s largest folk festival begins on Monday morning, June 29, at 7 a.m. For twelve weeks, work will continue every day at the Theresienwiese to ensure that everything is ready by the time the first beer is tapped on September 19. On this page, you can find out everything about the progress of the construction work.
Setting Up the Wiesn: Construction Site Schedule
- Starting June 29, 2026: Big beer tents and other large food and beverage establishments at Oktoberfest
- Starting June 29, 2026: Roasted chicken stands, coffee tents, and sausage snack halls in Construction Area I, subject to agreement with the festival management
- Starting August 3, 2026: Big beer tents and other large food and beverage establishments at the Oidn Wiesn
- Starting August 3, 2026: Roasted chicken stands, coffee tents, and sausage snack halls in Construction Zone I/II.
- Starting August 26, 2026: Roller coasters, Ferris wheels, water rides
- Starting September 2, 2026: Bumper cars, haunted houses, carousels, other rides, show and amusement attractions, slides, chain swings
- Starting September 7, 2026: All other attractions and stands.
The construction areas at Theresienwiese: festival tents, small tents, amusement rides
The setup of the Wiesn follows a tight schedule. In the first phase of construction, the large festival tents are erected on the Theresienwiese, followed by the smaller and medium-sized tents. At the end of August, the carnival operators arrive at the construction site. First, the tall rides, such as the Ferris wheel and the roller coasters, are set up. Next come the other rides, carousels, and finally the carnival booths, which are completed by the week before the opening ceremony. A few days before the start, TÜV and fire safety inspections are conducted.
Starting with the official start of construction, forklifts and trucks roll across the Theresienwiese every day. In the first few days, the initial tent frameworks and the distinctive towers of Paulaner and Löwenbräu are erected, while earthwork and preparatory work are carried out simultaneously.
Every day, people are working on repairs, building, and transporting things
For each large tent, an estimated 70 to 100 truckloads are transported to the Theresienwiese. For the large tents from Pletschacher’s warehouses alone, deliveries total over 1,000 truckloads. For each festival tent, 35,000 square meters of flooring is laid. In addition, there are many kilometers of cable and hundreds of meters of gas and water lines. Three forklifts and six lifting platforms are in use per tent. Due to the extensive setup work, access to the Theresienwiese is limited.
Exclusive tours of the large construction site
How is the world’s largest folk festival actually put together? If you want to know exactly how, now is your chance: Munich Tourism is offering exclusive guided tours of the Theresienwiese. Participants will be granted access to the massive construction site—an area not normally open to the public.
The official guides, specially trained by the festival organizers, provide fascinating insights and answer all the burning questions many fans have: What’s the schedule for setting up the festival? What logistical challenges need to be overcome? Why is the site closed off during the setup phase? During the approximately 90-minute tour, visitors will discover which rides are already in place, how the beer gets into the tents, and when the lion at the Löwenbräu tent will roar again. A peek inside one or two of the festival tents is also part of the program.
The guided tours take place every Friday at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., as well as on Saturdays and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Additionally, from August 15 through September 5, extra tours will be offered on Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The first tour starts on July 24, and the last one on September 6.
For safety reasons, sturdy footwear is required. Helmets and safety vests are provided on site. Children under six years of age are not permitted to participate for safety reasons.
