New in 2024
There will be a new tent, several new rides, but also a major departure in 2024 - and free beer.
Every year we try to provide as much information as possible about the big and small innovations at the Oktoberfest. That's why this article will be continuously updated until the Oktoberfest begins. As soon as something new becomes visible, we also try to record this in our construction documentation.
There is a new English-speaking book about the Oktoberfest, which is even marketed as the "official book" by its publisher.
One of the most important innovations last year was, who would have thought it, the introduction of drinking fountains. Due to their great success, their number will be increased to ten - two of which will be installed at the Oide Wiesn for the first time.
The Oktoberfest will have two new gastronomic stalls this year. One is a corn in a cup vendor and the other is AuerOx & Suppenküche, where ox sandwiches (Ochsenfetzensemmeln), fried chicken (Backhendl), stews and soups are on offer.
Oide Wiesn received a new entrance. As the old one was rather ugly, that is good news in general. Unfortunately, somebody thought, a video wall would fit Oide Wiesn's aesthetics.
News From the Festival Tents
With Boandlkramerei, Oide Wiesn is getting another new tent. After Schönheitskönigin's replacement with Schützenlisl in 2022 already caused some criticism, the demise of the Herzkasperl-Festzelt caused quite a stir in the press.
Boandlkramerei replaces Herzkasperl-Festzelt at Oide Wiesn.
Winzerer Fähndl, which has wanted to be called Paulanerfestzelt for quite a while now, replaced their main band Nockherberger with Quetschnblech. We're curious to see whether that change could make the tent more Bavarian.
There is now music at Marstall every day from 11am. A third band, Host Mi, has been hired to play until 2 pm.
Thanks to its great success, Festzelt Tradition expands its lemonade garden, where children can tap their own soda.
Bräurosl replaces the Josef Menzl band with Karolinenfelder, known from the Rosenheimer Herbstfest. Although they play there all day, with the usual broad beer tent repertoire, the tent does not return to the festival band principle, but has once again hired a “party band” for the evenings, this time Volxxbeat. This year there will also be a new Bräurosl and a new souvenir stand in the tent.
Augustiner tent's back balcony is getting a slight makeover as parts of it are now being used as a brewery balcony.
Work continues on the second floor of the Löwenbräu tent. The expansion of the storage facilities also involves new windows on the north side. Apart from that, the tent is now also receiving central beer containers which are connected by pipelines to the individual taps.
The minimum consumption permitted for evening reservations has been increased again for box and gallery seats. In addition to two liters of beer and a meal voucher, an additional €18 voucher can now be expected instead of €15.
The secondary market for reservations, which was made mandatory last year, is to be expanded. The additional costs incurred by the resale can now be invoiced by the processing company. We are curious to see whether the city's Economics Department has not opened the door to higher reservation fees here.
The new lunchtime offer at the Münchner Stubn is nothing short of spectacular: from Monday to Thursday, you can actually get two Maß of beer for the price of one with every meal before 5 pm. Who would have thought that there could actually be free beer at the Oktoberfest?
At Ammer, the afternoon music will be more schlager-heavy this year. On Sundays there will be a real brass band.
Following Augustiner, who made the change in 2016, all other breweries introduce new mugs to provide more space for the beer head.
The Fischbäda has changed its afternoon program. A total of seven different bands now share the 16 days. The most prominent are Roland Hefter and Oimara.
A year after receiving the license, Schottenhamel got a schnaps bar next to its main entrance.
New and Missing Attractions
In the fairground sector, the departures are particularly interesting this year. Not only are Fahrt zur Hölle and Rio Rapidos not returning to the Wiesn after changes of ownership, but Höllenblitz, which was plagued by breakdowns and even an accident last year, will not be at the Oktoberfest in 2024. Since the roller coaster celebrated its Wiesn premiere as Magic Mountain in 1992, it has been an integral part of the Oktoberfest.
In addition, last year's novelties Crazy Outback and Mr. Gravity will not be returning. Likewise Hexn'n Wipp'n (Oide Wiesn) and Ballonfahrt.
The ongoing crisis in traveling rides means that the influx of genuine novelties has almost dried up. Nevertheless, two rides of a type that have not yet been seen at the Wiesn are coming to the Theresienwiese this year. One is Laser Pix, a kind of shooting gallery on wheels, and the other is Kick Down, which is similar to Mr. Gravity but ultimately offers a very different ride experience.
The return of two popular ride classics is a welcome development. Jim & Jasper's Wildwasser, a classic log flume ride, is back, and for the first time since 2016, the Oktoberfest is getting a Hupferl again. There is also an interesting new feature for the Oide Wiesn: historic bumper cars, Der Selbstfahrer, will be making its debut. The line-up of novelties is flanked by the Fahrenschons' Wellenflug - now the third swing ride of that kind on the fairground - and the historicizing carousel The Grand Carousel.
The admission of Big Pictures 2.0, a small “very many D cinema”, is indicative of the declining quality of the Oktoberfest applications.
