A tent guide for the Oktoberfest

Of the 14 large festival tents on the fairgrounds, the Schottenhamel is the oldest. The proprietors are of the same family who first opened a little beer stand here for 50 people in 1867. Today's tent and adjacent beer garden seat 10,000 patrons. The Schottenhamel is where Munich's mayor ceremoniously opens the Oktoberfest every year with the words "O'zapft is!" which means, the keg is tapped.

Joining the Bavarians dancing on benches here are many international guests, drawn by the fame of the Munich Hofbräuhaus and its beer. Floating high above the revelers' heads is the angel Aloisius. The story goes that he sits in heaven and swears, because he doesn't get any beer.

With seating for 9,300 patrons, the Hackerbräu is another of the jumbo tents. Young and international guests find their way here. Last year, it was refurbished: the ventilation improved and new serving areas installed. But the famous "Himmel der Bayern" — the Bavarians' heaven — banner still flies above the bandstand. Sections of the roof are open, allowing a glimpse of genuine Munich sky.

Dancing, yodeling, partying: the Bräurosl is known for its boisterous atmosphere. On the first Sunday of Oktoberfest, thousands of gays and lesbians gather here for the "Gay Sunday" and really cut loose. The tent itself was named after the former Pschorr brewery owner's daughter Rosi. Every season, one female yodeler earns the title Bräurosl and keeps spirits in the tent high.

All the beer served at the Oktoberfest comes from only six Munich breweries. On tap at Winzerer Fähndl is Paulaner. The tent's voluminous size allows patrons a good view of the band from over 10,000 seats. The guests include many celebrities, such as the soccer players of FC Bayern.

The Augustiner serves beer from Munich's oldest brewery and the only one to use wooden kegs instead of the steel containers seen in other tents — a tradition that seems to pay off: Many patrons say this is the best beer at the festival. Plus, the servers have a reputation for being friendlier than elsewhere. The Festival Hall has collected lots of regular patrons.

Every year, the Oktoberfest state marksmen's competition is held in the tent's 110-lane shooting range — the only event here until gastronomy was introduced in the 1960s, with the malt-beer-marinated roast pig swiftly becoming a house specialty. This is the place for a more dignified atmosphere, with the hall being a favorite among German nobility.

The Armbrustschützen hall is built to resemble an enormous Alpine chalet with rustic atmosphere inside and out. The boxes containing the tables and benches are named for local animals: the chamois, for example, and the wild boar. The brass-band music, the beer and crossbow competitions give patrons the feeling of taking part in a Bavarian town festival. The crowd is a mixed bag of all ages.

The Marstall is the newcomer among the party tents, having taken over from its predecessor, the Hippodrom, in 2014. Horse motifs are everywhere. The bandstand is designed like a merry-go-round. The Marstall offers vegan dishes.

Löwenbräu means "lion's brew," and an enormous lion perched over the tent's entrance makes sure everyone hears about it, roaring out the beer's famous name at intervals. Inside, things get even louder. The tent holds 8,500 partiers, all drinking Löwenbräu, of course. A Braumeister-Pfandl — a dish of ham hocks, duck and suckling pig — helps the beer go down.

This festival hall’s name is its specialty: ox on a skewer. It’s been a culinary highlight of the Oktoberfest for over 130 years. A single 270-kilogram ox yields about 500 portions of meat. The animal’s name is even inscribed on a board nearby. Traditionally, the first ox of the season is named after its butcher and the last after the head chef.

Here, too, the tent's name gives more than a hint at its principal delicacy: fish. Especially popular are the grilled fish. They’re stacked on a 15-meter-long skewer and roasted. With seating for nearly 3,400 revelers, Fischer-Vroni numbers among the smaller tents, but it's a favorite among tourists and veteran Oktoberfest-goers alike.

Since 1984, the Kuffler family of restaurateurs in Munich has been offering selected wines, sparkling and otherwise, here. Instead of the usual folding tables and benches, patrons sit in their own booths on fine wooden seats. The hall has space for 1,920 people and another 580 outside. Most other tents fold their flaps at 11:30 p.m., but this one keeps the party going till 1:00 a.m.

This hall, built in log-farmhouse style with rustic decoration and cozy wooden booths, is popular with the international high society. Appropriately, it also has the hardest door to pass at the Oktoberfest. With 3,000 seats inside and outside combined, it's on the small side. No matter which tent or hall you set your sights on, we wish you a smooth entry.