New in 2026
Change of management at Winzerer, return of the Zugspitzbahn?
As we do every year, we’re expecting plenty of new developments for the Munich Oktoberfest in 2026. On this page, we’ll be continuously compiling all the updates we learn about leading up to the start of the festival, presenting the most comprehensive collection of Oktoberfest news. Most of the new developments will be announced in May, when the permits are issued. The beer price is usually announced in June
New landlord for the Winzerer Fähndl
The “Paulaner Festzelt” is getting a new landlord following the much-criticized era of Arabella Schörghuber: Lorenz Stiftl is taking over his third or even fourth Oktoberfest tent, depending on how you count, after Wienerwald/Zum Stiftl and the Schützenlisl. Once again, he is kicking off the reservation phase by soliciting prefixed menu orders—something that, according to the city's regulations, shouldn’t actually be allowed. In his last two tents, he even tried at times to enforce a mandatory menu.
Winzerer will be run by Lorenz Stiftl for the first time in 2026.
Also, less than ideal is the large number of tables reserved for eleven guests for the first time. At Winzerer, there are continuous benches along the divider walls that you can find in the entire tent, creating an eleventh seat at the end of the table. Anyone who has ever sat at a fully occupied beer table knows, however, that even ten hungry stomachs can only be filled simultaneously by employing room-saving eating techniques due to the lack of available space.
Those sitting at the end of the table don’t even have room for a plate, yet they must now still buy their food vouchers. The fact that menu orders are to be enforced at the same time leaves a doubly unpleasant aftertaste.
Musically, the tent isn’t completely reinventing itself. There will still be a party band for the evening break between 6:30 and 8:30 pm, but from now on it will be Tetrapack.
For the festival band, they’re sticking with a tried-and-true choice: Rainer Herneks and the Ludwig-Thoma-Musikanten are returning to the Wiesn for the first time since the pandemic hiatus. The Dachau-based group, known from the Bäurosl, will thus be able to celebrate their 50th Oktoberfest anniversary right at the Paulaner premiere.
New Rides
Although—or perhaps precisely because—there is some movement in the showmen industry in 2026—a new roller coaster might even celebrate its fairground premiere this year—we are having a hard time predicting what new attractions might be at the Oktoberfest this year. None of the major projects belong to a regular Munich supplier, but the city has certainly shown flexibility in recent years when interesting new attractions were available.
What we’re really hoping for, however, is the return of the Munich Zugspitzbahn. It has changed owners and, freshly renovated, should delight us again this year on Schaustellerstraße.
The Zugspitzbahn is one of the oldest rides at the Oktoberfest.
The Oktoberfest Poster 2026
It’s a Munich law of nature that people will grumble about the choice of the Oktoberfest poster. Rarely, perhaps never before, has the criticism been as intense as this year. In addition to the perpetually outraged, who actually manage to take offense at the use of primary colors, there were loud doubts from Munich’s graphic design community regarding the integrity of the competition winner, Florian Huber.
The accusation is that he used an AI generator, even though such tools were expressly excluded from the competition. The infallible Economic Affairs Department, with its lack of interest in clarifying the matter, did little to calm the situation.
