Oktoberfest 2026 Dates: Full Schedule 🍺
September 19 - October 4, 2026. Here's the confirmed schedule, and which of the 16 days actually make sense for your group.
Oktoberfest 2026 is confirmed: September 19 through October 4, 16 days on Munich's Theresienwiese, officially announced by the City of Munich via oktoberfest.de. This is the 191st Oktoberfest, and the dates line up so the final weekend overlaps with German Unity Day (October 3), a public holiday - which changes how busy that last weekend gets.
Below is the actual day-by-day shape of the festival: when it opens, when the parades happen, which days are locals-only quiet, and which days you should book around if you're bringing a group.
1. Summary
Dates
September 19 - October 4, 2026 (16 days)
Opening
Mayor's Tapping ('O'zapft is!') at 12:00 noon, Saturday Sept 19
Closing
Sunday, October 4 - last call around 10:30pm
Location
Theresienwiese, Munich (U-Bahn U4/U5 to Theresienwiese)
2. Plan Your Oktoberfest Trip in 5 Minutes
3. The Three Weekends
🎉 Weekend 1: Sept 19-20 (Opening)
The busiest weekend by far. The Mayor taps the first keg at noon on Saturday the 19th, and the Trachten- und Schützenzug (traditional costume and riflemen's parade) marches through central Munich to the Theresienwiese on Sunday the 20th, starting around 10am. Tents are effectively reservation-only both days - don't show up without a table booked.
🍻 Weekend 2: Sept 26-27 (Mid-Fest)
Still busy, still mostly reservation-driven, but slightly more breathing room than opening weekend. A reasonable middle-ground pick if you couldn't get an opening-weekend reservation.
🇩🇪 Weekend 3: Oct 3-4 (Closing + Unity Day)
German Unity Day (October 3) is a national public holiday and falls on the Saturday of the final weekend in 2026, meaning Germans get a long weekend right as the festival closes. Expect this to be the second-busiest weekend after opening. The festival closes for the year on Sunday, October 4.
4. Weekdays: When It's Actually Manageable
📅 Week 1: Mon Sept 21 - Fri Sept 25
The easiest stretch of the entire festival. Crowds thin out significantly after the opening weekend clears, tents have unreserved space available if you arrive by mid-morning, and you can generally walk into a tent on a Tuesday or Wednesday without a reservation at all.
👨👩👧 Family Tuesday (Familientag)
One Tuesday during the run is designated Family Day, with reduced prices on rides and attractions until 6pm. It's aimed at local families, but it also means a slightly different daytime crowd on the fairground side if your group wants to do rides before heading into a tent.
🌙 Week 2: Mon Sept 28 - Fri Oct 2
Considered the "locals' week" by many Munich regulars - fewer tourists, easier tent access, and the atmosphere still feels like Oktoberfest at full volume in the evenings.
💡 Best days for a first-time group: fly in for a Tuesday-Thursday stretch in either week 1 or week 2. You get the full tent atmosphere in the evening, real odds of getting a table without a reservation if you arrive by late morning, and hotel prices that are still high but noticeably below opening-weekend or Unity Day rates.
5. Daily Hours
🕐 Tent Hours
Tents generally open at 10am on weekdays and 9am on weekends and public holidays. Beer service starts at 10am (11am on the opening day, after the ceremonial tapping). Last call is 10:30pm, with tents fully clearing out by around 11:30pm.
🎡 Fairground & Rides
Rides and games on the fairground side run later into the evening than beer service, typically until 11:30pm-midnight, so there's still something to do after the tents close their doors.
⚠️ Confirm exact hours closer to the date. Individual tents occasionally adjust opening times by an hour in either direction, and the official schedule isn't always finalized until a few weeks before the festival. Check oktoberfest.de directly before you build a tight day-by-day plan.
6. How to Pick Your Dates as a Group
🎟️ Have a reservation already?
Your dates are locked to whatever slot you booked - build the rest of the trip around it. See our tent reservations guide if you haven't booked yet.
🧭 No reservation, flexible dates?
Go with a weekday in week 1 or week 2. You'll have real odds of walking into a tent, and flights/hotels are meaningfully cheaper than either weekend.
💰 Budgeting around your dates
Hotel prices scale hard with demand - opening weekend and Unity Day weekend can run 2-3x a normal weekday rate. See our Oktoberfest budget breakdown for real numbers.
Planning with Friends? Try FlowTrip App 🚀
Coordinating a group around 16 possible days, three very different weekends, and everyone's flight availability turns into a scheduling nightmare fast.
FlowTrip keeps your Oktoberfest dates, reservations, and flights in one shared plan - poll the group on which days work, then track who's confirmed.
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