Meanwhile, the setup work is in the final stretch: on Saturday at noon, the first keg will be tapped (“ozapft”).
The countdown is on: On Saturday, the world’s largest folk festival begins again in the Bavarian capital – the 190th Oktoberfest. While final setup work is being completed, the first beer for the festival tents on the Theresienwiese is being delivered these days. However, it won’t be served until Munich’s Mayor Dieter Reiter announces the traditional “Ozapft is!” (“It’s tapped!”) at 12 p.m.
Oktoberfest with New Rides and an Anniversary
Visitors can then expect 500 businesses on the Theresienwiese. These include, for example, four new rides: the barrier-free and over 70-meter-high “Skylift,” which was previously located in the Olympic Park; the “Happy Sailor” with 20 rotating gondolas; the “Montgolfière” for children; and the “Geisterhöhle” (Haunted Cave) on the “Oidn Wiesn” (the traditional section). The “Russenrad” (a small Ferris wheel with an old concert organ) is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
Cashless Payment in the Beer Tents
At well over half of all businesses and rides, you can now pay either with cash or cashless – a reaction to increasing demand, as stated. In the “Armbrustschützenzelt” (Crossbow Shooters’ Tent), cards will be accepted for the first time – though not all servers will have the corresponding mobile devices. In the “Münchener Stubn” (Munich Parlor), however, the bill can only be settled by card or smartphone this time.
“O’scannt is” with the MVV
The MVV (Munich Transport and Tariff Association) is testing the digital ticketing system “Web2Wallet” during the Wiesn. Passengers can purchase day tickets online via a dedicated web shop and load them onto their smartphones. No app download or registration is required for this. “Knowledge of the tariff” is also “not necessary,” emphasizes the MVV. The offer will be promoted particularly at tourist hotspots like the airport, hotels, or campsites – with a QR code under the motto “O’scannt is” (“It’s scanned!”).
More Expensive Beer and More Free Water
The beer price at the Oktoberfest is new every year and has been known for a while to be going up once again. This year, it will range between €14.50 and €15.80. This is an average increase of 3.5 percent compared to 2024. Last year, the price range was from €13.60 to €15.30. The beer price is set by the caterers.
The city has increased the number of drinking water fountains: There are now ten fountains distributed across the grounds where everyone can tap water for free. However, you shouldn’t bring glass bottles from home for this: they would be “confiscated” during the security checks at the entrance.
Barrier-Free Access Across the Festival Grounds
There are also improvements regarding accessibility. There will be maps showing the barrier-free accesses to the festival tents, wheelchair-accessible seating, and barrier-free toilets. In addition to the so-called “Street 1” on the festival grounds, “Street 3” will now also be barrier-free.
Reservations for Locals
The city and innkeepers had particularly good news for locals: The Munich quota (with no minimum consumption requirement) has been expanded. On Saturdays, Sundays, and October 3rd, ten percent of all seats in the festival tents are reserved for locals for the first time, consistently throughout the day. Demand for this offer was huge.
Those who didn’t get a spot here still have a chance – just like other spontaneous visitors. That’s because a quarter of the seats in the large tents fundamentally cannot be reserved at all. On the Oidn Wiesn, even a third of the seats always remain reservation-free. In good weather, the beer gardens are also an option. There are often free spots there – and reservations aren’t possible in these areas anyway.
Also New: Rain Ponchos – and the 2025 Wiesn Hit
On worse weather days, vendors are allowed to sell rain ponchos with the official Oktoberfest logo for the first time this year. This has the advantage that you can leave bulky umbrellas at home and fewer visitors will crowd into the already full tents when it rains – that’s the plan. Aside from that, everyone hopes that neither umbrella nor poncho will be needed at the 2025 Wiesn.
We probably won’t know which song is the new Wiesn hit until October. The song “Wackelkontakt” by singer-songwriter Benedikt Hafner, aka “Oimara,” is considered a strong contender. Ultimately, however, the audience in the festival tents decides who wins the race.
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