Oktoberfest 2026: Court Decision Clears Preparatory Work to Begin
Beer tents, carousels, stalls, and beer gardens will be installed at the world's largest folk festival grounds by the opening on September 19th.
Construction of the grounds is a major annual logistical undertaking. Crews work for about three months before the first guests are allowed onto the festival grounds, reports Euronews.
The main location is the Theresienwiese, a vast, 42-hectare area in Munich, named after Princess Theresa of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The site is primarily known as the official location of the iconic Oktoberfest beer festival, although other events also take place there.
"Fortunately, the court issued a timely ruling; we can hold the Wiesn in 2026, just like we do every year, so we can start work today as planned. One of the largest temporary construction sites in Europe is just starting, and 70 to 100 trucks are waiting for each tent," said Christian Scharpf, Munich's Chief Economic Officer, during the groundbreaking ceremony.
Work could only begin after a legal dispute over the allocation of several beer tents. The Wiesn site, mentioned by the official, has been perceived as a hotly contested area for years: coveted plots and lucrative tent concessions lead to conflict. Only when the court rejected the urgent application of the losing bidder was the city able to begin construction as planned.
Large, smaller and medium-sized
To ensure everything is ready for the opening of Oktoberfest, thousands of tons of materials will need to be transported and installed at the Theresienwiese. The large beer tents alone require dozens of truck deliveries. Added to this are the queues, supply lines, kitchens, beer cellars, and all the technical infrastructure.
The setup of the Wiesn follows a tight schedule. In the first phase of construction, the large festival tents are erected on the Theresienwiese, followed by the smaller and medium-sized tents.
At the end of August, the carnival operators arrive at the construction site. First, the tall rides, such as the Ferris wheel and the roller coasters, are set up. Next come the other rides, carousels, and finally the carnival booths, which are completed by the week before the opening ceremony.
A few days before the start, fire safety inspections are conducted.
According to the city, construction is now starting earlier than a few years ago. This allows more time to compensate for any weather-related delays.
"The installation takes a total of a quarter of a year. We decided to start earlier some time ago, also due to the weather. This became more than understandable this summer. It's good that we started two weeks earlier and not only in July," Scharpf explained.
Expectations for This Year
This year, the city expects several million visitors from around the world. Last year, the Wiesn received around 6.7 million visitors.
However, breaking new records is not the goal, Scharpf emphasized.
This is the 191st edition of Oktoberfest. The event will last 16 days.
In keeping with tradition, the official opening of the first barrel (the so-called O'zapft is!) by the Mayor of Munich will take place at noon on Saturday, September 19th.
Until then, there will still be plenty of screwing, hammering, and assembly going on at Theresienwiese. In Munich, the countdown to Oktoberfest has officially begun.