The Beer Tents: Hofbräu-Festzelt
A huge number of Oktoberfest visitors like to go to the Hofbräu tent: the biggest beer tent at Oktoberfest, where there’s a ton of things going on. When entering, you’ll see Aloisius from the short satire ‘A Munich in Heaven’ with his harp who is decorated with hops bines from the Holledau region in Bavaria which are attached to the roof of the Hofbräu tent.
You’ll see Australians, Asians, Italians, French, Poles, Czech, Kenyans, Puerto Ricans, Swiss and Germans raise their glasses here, often.
Quick Facts
Seats: 10,000
Mood: International noisy merrymaking.
Family Friendly? On Tuesdays, 600 seats are reserved for children and their parents from 11am to 3pm. There are also affordable food and beverages for families on the back balcony, with a nice view of the tent.
Flirtation Factor: High.
Host: Steinberg family.
Reservations: www.hb-festzelt.de
Tent Life
If you wanted to compare the Hofbräu tent’s mood with a musical experience, it would be a rock concert. It’s the only tent with standing room in front of the music stage where there’s room for a 1,000-strong mosh pit. Hands with beer steins are always in the air and one toast usually follows the next.
Hofbräu-Festzelt starts packing out early
It’s boisterous, vivacious, fun, and fortunately lots of people speak English. The local broadcaster ‘TV München’ reports live daily from the Hofbräu tent so that everyone in Munich can enjoy the Hofbräu atmosphere even if they can’t make it to Oktoberfest that day.
Music
The music of the ‘Phlattlinger Isarspatzen’ fits well in with the highly intoxicating atmosphere. As soon as you walk into the tent, you feel the energy, the urge to celebrate. It’s a bit like falling into a dream that has always existed and that you can dream again and again. This is that dream made real.
And in those few short moments of clarity, you awake from the dream, see the people around you and hear the music, briefly regain your senses, then wave the server over and order another stein of Hofbräu.
Food
They serve very special delicacies which include:
- Skewered duck.
- Roast venison.
- Spare ribs.
- Fresh garden salads.
- ‘Steinbergs Kas-Variation’ Chees platter.
You can certainly enjoy a sumptuous feast here. You should try the still-pink tenderloin with pepper béarnaise, roasted potatoes and homemade herbed cheese – plus a good Hofbräu stein to go with it.
Beer Garden
You’ll find many more Munich locals in the beer garden. There’s room here for 3,000 people. The servers here are like those at the ‘real’ Hofbräuhaus: they merge classic Munich grumpiness with biting wit.
View the full list of beer tents of Oktoberfest here.
