Oktoberfest, the largest beer festival in the world, is an experience that can be both intimidating and exciting. And if you’re attending Oktoberfest for the first time, it can be a little more intimidating than exciting, simply because of its scale. However, fret not! If you're attending Oktoberfest 2025 for the first time and feel unsure about what to expect, you've come to the right place! Here are 7 helpful tips for first-time visitors to Oktoberfest!
In 2025, the official Oktoberfest celebration in Germany will take place from September 20 to October 5. This year marks the 190th anniversary of Oktoberfest, which will take place at the Theresienwiese in Munich. Oktoberfest is a grand celebration of local German beer and involves not just beer but also plenty of rides, cultural performances, parades, and other attractions.
Each year, millions of visitors attend Oktoberfest and 2023 saw the highest number of visitors about 7.2 million! So, you can only guess how grand the beer festival is in terms of scale.
First and foremost, let’s get this straight, Oktoberfest isn’t just a beer festival. It is more or less an enormous funfair where you have everything from beer and street food to adrenaline-pumping rollercoasters and rides. So, when you’re planning to attend the festival, do not cram all activities and experience on a single-day itinerary.
After all, it is certainly not a good idea to spend a few hours chugging down beer and then immediately rushing on a rollercoaster ride. It can cause nausea and make you uncomfortable – and you wouldn’t want that to happen when you’re at Oktoberfest!
Instead, keep rides and activities for a day and your beer adventures for some other day.
The best way to blend into a culture and make your Oktoberfest experience even more fun is by learning a few German phrases. While there are plenty of foreigners as well as Germans who can understand and speak English, keeping a few German phrases handy will help you connect with locals more easily. Here are some useful phrases to learn!
Oktoberfest is a beer festival, and beer, for the most part, is typically considered to be low on alcohol. But when you chug down pints of beer in succession, it can quickly add up and make you ‘unsobered’ quite fast. Moreover, not all beers served at Oktoberfest have low alcohol by volume (ABV).
Some can be stronger than others and cause you to become tipsy faster than you expected. So, the key is to be mindful of the beer you’re consuming, taking regular water breaks, and not going overboard with beer pints.
Most beer tents at Oktoberfest 2025 will offer food along with beer, and the food here is definitely not to miss out on! But if you have dietary restrictions – if you’re vegan, vegetarian, or avoid certain ingredients, we recommend checking the food menus at Oktoberfest in advance.
Many beer tents at Oktoberfest have their own website or social media channels where they post regular updates as well as food menus. Here, you can compare different menus, see what all food offerings are available, and see whether the food here suits your dietary preferences. This will help you avoid uncomfortable situations when you’re scrounging through the menu and find that the food just doesn’t cater to your dietary preferences.
If you’re visiting Oktoberfest Germany 2025 for the first time, the crowd might overwhelm you. And if you’re visiting for the first time, we’d recommend keeping as little belongings with you as possible. Even though pickpocketing instances are not common, it is always better to be extra careful of your personal belongings, especially when visiting a crowded event like Oktoberfest.
Only keep essential belongings like mobile phones, power banks, and a bottle of water with you and avoid items like precious jewelry, gadgets like laptops and expensive cameras, and other valuables.
Also Read: Beer Belly: Does Drinking Really Give You That Paunch?
While the weather is quite pleasant in Munich in late September and October, we’d advise to avoid wearing sandals or open-toed shoes. Oktoberfest is, after all, a beer fest, and many people can be quite ‘unsobered’ after some time.
In such cases, it is easy for people to lose control of their senses and stumble upon someone else. And you definitely do not want to get your feet exposed to injury if that unlucky person someone is stumbling upon is you. Also, with free-flowing beer, there will be a lot of spills, so expect the tent floors to be a little grimy. In such cases, it is best to keep toes covered and wear shoes instead of open-toed sandals.
Steins – large mugs with lids, are a signature of Oktoberfest celebrations. Each beer tent has a fixed number of steins, and mind you, they keep track of all them. So if you were thinking that you could sneak this little souvenir with you, you must not do that.
The security keeps a tight watch on steins and people trying to get them out of the Oktoberfest venue. In fact, one year, the security had confiscated 1,30,000 such steins from Oktoberfest visitors who were trying to sneak them out! Worry not, there are official merchandise stalls where you can purchase a stein and take it with you as a souvenir – without being questioned by the security. These are available in different sizes and come with different customization options as well.
Also Read: Simply Glass Apart! Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew, A Thai Temple Made Of 1.5 Million Beer Bottles!
At its heart, Oktoberfest isn’t just about free-flowing beer, it’s also about soaking in Bavarian traditions, sharing laughs with strangers, and making memories you’ll recall fondly. With these seven tips in mind, you’ll not only have Munich beer smarter but also enjoy the festival in a much better way. Prost to the spirit of Oktoberfest!
