Oktoberfest 2025: How to secure the coveted table!

Oktoberfest 2025: How to secure the coveted table!

The anticipation for Oktoberfest 2025 is growing, as the first tents on Theresienwiese have been set up since the end of June. For anyone who would like to spend a convivial evening in the beer tent with friends or family, you need to act quickly! Table reservations require tactics and a little luck, because every seat is coveted here.

Especially for larger groups, it often becomes a real race against time. Anyone trying to get a table should know that around 25% of the seats in the large tents are not reserved and are therefore available to walk-in customers. In addition, 10% of the places in the festival tents are reserved for Munich residents, including on weekends and public holidays. During the week, however, visitors have a better chance of getting a seat without a reservation, while in the beer gardens there is a first come, first served basis without any table reservations, as in-muenchen.de reports.

Table reservations: This is how it works!

By the way, table reservations are free; Here there is only a minimum consumption in the form of vouchers. On average, the cost of this consumption is between 50 and 60 euros per person. Reservation changes usually take place between 4:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Anyone who was not able to use all of the vouchers can redeem them in pubs until October 31st. Reservations are made directly via the websites of the respective tents; there is no central platform.

Tables fill up quickly for the most popular periods, particularly Friday and Saturday evenings. But you often have better cards during the week. The Wiesntischbörse even makes it possible to buy, sell or exchange reservations at the original price. In addition, around 25% of the seats remain reservation-free from Monday to Friday, and on weekends the figure is even 40% until 3 p.m.

Tips for a successful reservation

To ensure a spot in the beer tent, we recommend planning well in advance. From spring 2024, reservations can be checked on the tents' websites. As soon as the reservation option is activated, you should be quick. Shortly before the start of the festival, it can also make sense to ask again about free places, as short-term cancellations are not uncommon, as oktoberfest.de knows.

The steps to reserve a table are straightforward: plan early, contact the beer tent you want, specify the group size and pay a deposit of 20 to 50 euros per person. After confirming the reservation, you will receive all details about the date, time and location. Prices vary depending on the tent and day of the week and can fluctuate between 25 euros and 70 euros per person, especially on weekends and public holidays.

Munich residents have the opportunity to reserve places in the local contingent directly with the festival hosts, although this requires an on-site visit. The four tents that allocate 2,025 places in the Munich contingent are the Augustiner Festival Tent, the Tradition Festival Tent, the Paulaner Festival Tent and the Schützen Festival Tent.

Oktoberfest remains a unique opportunity to experience Bavarian culture and conviviality. If you want to put your luck to the test and get a place, you should take the tips into account and perhaps also take a trip to the Wiesntischbörse. Because one thing is certain: a place in one of the tents really makes the Oktoberfest experience complete.