How do I reserve a table at Oktoberfest?
There is no central reservation point for a table at the Oktoberfest; instead, each festival tent offers its own reservation options. You should reserve a table months in advance from March or April. If you arrive late, you often only get remaining places at lunchtime or in the afternoon – if at all. From this year onwards there will also be a Beer table sales portalthrough which tables can be sold again if the planned date doesn’t work.
Reservations in the tents are usually tied to a minimum consumption per person (often two pints of beer and half a chicken) and are only possible for groups of eight or ten people. You cannot reserve individual seats at a table. The hosts announce on their websites on which days, at what times and under what conditions tables are still available.
The reservation websites of the large festival tents:
Can you get an Oktoberfest table without a reservation?
That depends on the day and time of the visit. If you don’t necessarily want to go to the festival tent in the evening or on weekends and on public holidays, you definitely have a chance of getting a free table. In principle, not all places in the tents may be reserved. The innkeepers must leave tables free for spontaneous visitors. The city of Munich has precisely defined rules for how many there are.
However, these reservation-free tables can quickly fill up. If the tent is too full, it might be worth taking a look at the beer garden – because the tables there are generally exempt from reservations.
Are there reserved Oktoberfest tables specifically for Munich residents?
Yes. Since 2015, innkeepers have been allowed to allocate some of the non-reservable tables on weekends and public holidays to people whose main residence is in Munich. There is no minimum consumption at these tables, but there is a small reservation fee. This so-called Munich contingent is limited and usually goes away quickly. To make this type of table reservation, you usually have to go to a sales point specified by the innkeeper with your ID card a few weeks before Oktoberfest. The innkeepers provide information about the details on their websites.
What if the large festival tents are full?
The first, obvious alternatives are the smaller tents at the Oktoberfest, which also offer tables for reservation. There may not be a lot of crowds in these tents, but you have a place and the atmosphere is no less exuberant. But be careful, the same applies here: it’s better to be early.
The reservation websites of the small tents:
Oide Oktoberfest as another option
Alternatively, there are the festival tents at the Oidn Wiesn, a separate area that costs four euros to enter. The Oide Wiesn is reminiscent of an Oktoberfest from times long past. Things are less excessive here, but no less funny.
Reservations can be made in Marquee traditionin the Volkssängerzelt Schützenliesl and in Herzkasperl tent. An insider tip when everything is crowded is the one that is a little out of the way museum tent.