Topics covered:
- 6 Fun Things to Do with Kids
- Official Day for Families & special discounts
- Special Family Area (equipped with changing tables!)
- Intro to Oide Weisen - Old Oktoberfest
- Oktoberfest rules for families
- Summary - The Most Important Tips
The world's largest beer festival that attracts millions is just around the corner! While discussing with one of the moms on Instagram, I realised that this will be our first Oktoberfest with our baby 🥳 So of course I went down a research rabbit hole and voila this article was born ✨ It compiles tips & tricks and other useful information to visit and make the most of Oktoberfest with kids!
6 Fun Things to do with Kids at Oktoberfest
Apart from enjoying the crowd, sights and a nibble of the gigantic bretzel - there’s unfortunately not much for babies under 1 to do. For toddlers and older kids however there is plenty of entertainment. Here are some of my favourite ideas:
- Get the Oktoberfest diploma for your kids: Those who answer 9 questions about the Oide Wiesn in a search game will receive the Oktoberfest Diploma and can look forward to a small prize.
- Go on any number of the rides there
- Go to the Oide Wiesn/Old Octoberfest and take the chair-o-plane and carousels for just €1.50
- Take kids to the Limogarten - Lemonade garden at the Oide Wiesn/Old Oktoberfest
- At the Oide Wiesn/Old Octoberfest puppeteer Siegfried Böhmke and his ensemble present a program that changes every hour from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
- Take your babies to the Familienplatzl where they have a baby flight and throwing game with great prizes!
💡Best Day & Time for Families: Mornings and afternoons on the weekdays are generally considered the best time to go as a family.
Official Day for Families & Special Discounts
Want to avail discounts and enjoy a semi chill day? (because how chill can a drinking festival really get 😅) Tuesday is your best bet!
Every Tuesday until 7pm is Family day.
👀 Many rides and snack bars even offer special discounted prices on Tuesdays!
For the extra little ones still too young for the big rides, the Familienplatzl has a baby flight and throwing game with great prizes!
Special Family Area (Familienplatzl)
This place is unfortunately not commonly known to all families, yet is a must for relaxed Wiesn experience.
This area is open everyday of the week - not just on Tuesdays; the family day.
The Familienplatzl is located on Street 3/East and is clearly marked with a neon sign. Here, families enjoy "their area". There are benches and tables where big and small family members can relax together.
This area also includes:
- A stroller parking place
- Bathrooms with changing tables/children’s toilets
- A microwave service to heat up baby food
- Barrier and step-free (stroller friendly) entrance with wooden flooring to allow kids to crawl around.
- A beergarden
Oide Weisen - Old Oktoberfest
Munich locals love their “Oide Wiesn”, the nostalgic Oktoberfest like in the old days, which takes place on the southern edge of the festival grounds. Not only are things more leisurely here, all the rides from the classic children's carousel to the chain flyer to the boat swing cost just 1.50 euro!
Ticket Cost: The Oide Wiesn Entrance fee for the Oide Wiesn/Old Oktoberfest is 4 euros and free entry for children up to 14 years of age. From 9 p.m onwards admission is free.
Rules for Families
Access to different areas:
- Children under the age of 6 - even when accompanied by adults - are not allowed in beer tents and catering establishments after 8 p.m.
- Children and young people under the age of 16 are only permitted to be present on the grounds (and therefore also in the beer tents) after 8 p.m. if accompanied by a parent or guardian.
- Adolescents over 16 years of age may remain on the festival grounds until the end even without an adult, but in the tents (wine tent, Käfer) only until 24 o'clock.
Stroller and Diaper Bags:
- They are only allowed from Sunday through Friday till 6pm
- Strollers are generally prohibited on Saturdays.
- Parking for strollers costs 3 euros/day at the luggage storage station (found near the entrances) OR at the Familienplatzl (Street 3 East), at the Marionette Theater on the Oidn Wiesn.
- The maximum size of bags which can be brought into the Wiesn also applies to diaper bags, which may be up to 3 liters in volume or no bigger than 20 cm x 15 cm x 10 cm (approx. 8 in x 6 in x 4 in).
Summary - The Most Important Tips
- Every Tuesday until 7pm is Family day.
- There is a nappy-changing and breastfeeding room in the Theresienwiese Service Center (Festleitung entrance), behind the Schottenhamel tent
- The Familienplatzl is a designated area for families located on Street 3/East and is clearly marked with a neon sign. It includes a beer garden, changing stations, microwave for heating food and more.
- Children under the age of 6 are not allowed in beer tents and catering establishments after 8 p.m.
- Strollers are allowed on the grounds from Sunday through Friday till 6pm - not on Saturdays & the public holiday on 3rd October - On these days buggies etc. can be deposited in the parking garages near the entrances.
- Stroller parking costs 3 euros/day.
- The maximum size of bags which can be brought into the Wiesn also applies to diaper bags, which may be up to 3 liters in volume or no bigger than 20 cm x 15 cm x 10 cm (approx. 8 in x 6 in x 4 in).
- Entrance fee for the Oide Wiesn/Old Oktoberfest is 4 euros and free entry for children up to 14 years of age.
Hope you find this helpful :)
Note: All credits for the information goes to The Munich City Oktoberfest website here
