(Courtesy Paulaner)

If there’s one beer festival that defines the culture of celebration, tradition, and sheer volume of lager, it’s Oktoberfest in Munich.

What started back in 1810 as a royal wedding party has grown into the world’s biggest beer festival—drawing millions of visitors each year and inspiring countless copycat events across the globe. But no matter how many steins get lifted in Denver, São Paulo, or Tokyo, the original in Munich still sets the standard.

In 2025, the 190th Oktoberfest is slated to run from September 20 through October 5, a solid 16-day stretch on the Theresienwiese fairgrounds, the original location of the first celebration.

For two weeks every fall, the fairgrounds transform into a sprawling playground of beer halls, carnival rides, brass bands, and Bavarian cuisine. Six of Munich’s biggest breweries—Hofbräu, Paulaner, Augustiner, Löwenbräu, Spaten, and Hacker-Pschorr—each run their own massive tents, some seating over 10,000 people at a time. Inside, it’s a blur of dirndls, lederhosen, and one-liter Maßkrugs of Märzen-style beer brewed specifically for the fest.

But Oktoberfest in Munich isn’t just about beer—it’s about heritage.

The tradition of oompah music, hearty dishes like roast chicken and pretzels the size of steering wheels, and the strict German brewing standards that give Festbier its crisp, malty edge have kept the event deeply rooted in Bavarian identity. Generations of Munich locals have grown up with Oktoberfest as a marker of the year, while international visitors treat it as a bucket-list pilgrimage.

In 2024, around 6.7 million people attended Oktoberfest in Munich. The 2023 festival set a record with approximately 7.2 million visitors over an extended 18-day run. Analysts expect 2025 to draw somewhere between 6 and 7 million again, assuming typical weather and no major geo-political disruptions to dampen things.

What makes Oktoberfest’s legacy truly lasting, is how it has spread around the world. Cities across the world—from Cincinnati to Cape Town—host their own versions, blending German brewing traditions with local flair.

But even as Oktoberfest has gone global, the Munich original remains unmatched. There’s something about drinking a liter of fresh beer brewed just a few miles away, surrounded by 200 years of history.

It’s more than just a party—it’s a cultural institution that reaches back 162 years.

So whether you’re clinking steins in Bavaria or raising a glass at your local Oktoberfest, you’re part of a tradition that’s endured wars, recessions, and changing beer trends.

And in 2025, that tradition continues with over 6 million people gathering in Munich to toast to beer, community, and the good life.

###

Want more Oktoberfest stories?

We’ve got ‘em…

A Beer Worth The Wait: Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest 2025

Best Beer Promotions: The Iron Hill Oktoberfest in Munich Sweepstakes

Best Beer Destinations: 6 Worldclass Oktoberfest Festivals

Prost!