Oktoberfest events are now held around the world, but the original—and most famous—festival is in Munich. Each year, over 6 million people gather in the German city to attend, consuming around 6.5 million liters of beer combined as they celebrate Bavarian culture.
The festival begins in September, which begs the question: Why is it called Oktoberfest?
When was the first Oktoberfest?
Oktoberfest began as a five-day wedding celebration that started on October 12, 1810. The festivities honored the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, the future King Ludwig I, and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The wedding reception ended with a horse race held in an open area that became known as Theresienwiese, the site of Munich’s modern-day Oktoberfest. The celebration was so popular that it became an annual festival, retaining the name associated with its original October celebration.
In 1811, the horse race was held in conjunction with an agricultural show organized by the Bavarian Agricultural Association. By 1818, booths served food and drink, and the late 20th century saw temporary beer halls built from plywood.
Beer was a particular focus of Oktoberfest thanks to a 1553 decree that banned beer production in the warm summer months for safety and quality reasons. Before Bavarians could begin making beer in the fall, they needed to empty their reserves. Brewers produced stronger beer in March that could be stored in cool cellars through the summer. This Märzen-style beer later became closely associated with Oktoberfest and the festival offered a time to drink the remaining beer to ready the kegs for the October grain harvest.
As the festival continued to grow into a longer, larger celebration, its date changed.
Why did the festival move from October to September?
Oktoberfest was held in October until 1871. The next year, the festival moved to September to take advantage of the month’s longer days and warmer weather. The event has begun in September ever since, though it traditionally ends on the first Sunday in October.
When is Oktoberfest 2026?
In 2026, the Munich Oktoberfest begins Saturday, September 19, and continues through Sunday, October 4. Opening day of the festival, which is typically 16 days long, begins on the Saturday on or after September 15, and the event lasts through the first Sunday in October.
On opening day, before the ceremonial tapping of the first beer keg at noon, participants take part in a 4-mile-long parade of Oktoberfest landlords and breweries. Decorated carriages and horse-drawn brewery wagons make their way through Munich to the festival grounds. A separate traditional costume and hunters’ parade takes place the following day.
Oktoberfest officially kicks off when the mayor of Munich taps the first keg in the Festhalle Schottenhamel beer tent and declares “Ozapft is!”—Bavarian meaning “it's tapped!” This tradition of the ceremonial tap began in 1950 with Mayor Thomas Wimmer.
When did Americans start observing Oktoberfest?
Oktoberfest was first celebrated in the United States from October 13-15, 1961, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, local celebrations spread across the country. Now, Cincinnati claims its Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, which began in 1976, is the largest Oktoberfest celebration in the United States. And Cincinnati claims its Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, which began in 1976, is now the largest U.S. celebration.
Oktoberfests held in America don’t always follow Munich’s dates. In the United States, many celebrations take place over one or two weekends rather than a weeks-long celebration, and some events begin in October. For example, Denver Oktoberfest 2026 takes place during the last two weekends in September, while the 2026 Oktoberfest in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, occurs during the first two weekends of October.
