Winzerer Fähndl (Paulaner Festzelt)
Paulaner's brewery tent is very quiet in the afternoon but mutates into Munich's largest Schlager club in the evening with unusual stage fog and lights.
Although it still bore the name of the crossbowmen association "Winzerer Fähndl" until 2018, it has been a long time, since the last crossbow shooting took place at the Winzerer Fähndl. The shootings moved to the Armbrustschützenzelt in 1926. The Winzerer Fähndl itself was the first large beer castle at Oktoberfest in 1895 and started the evolution of small beer stands becoming the large beer tents we know today. After the acquisition of Thomasbräu by Paulaner, the Winzerer Fähndl became Paulaner’s brewery tent.
Instead of cultivating this exceptional position in the history of Oktoberfest beer tents, the Paulaner brewery chose to ignore the tent's rich history in 2019 by changing its name to "Paulaner Festzelt".
From 2004, it was run by Arabella Schörghuber and Peter Pongratz. After the pandemic, Peter was replaced by his daughter Ramona. However, in 2026, it will be taken over by Lorenz Stiftl.
Music and Atmosphere
It significantly influenced not only beer tent architecture, but also the music played at Oktoberfest. Its band was the first to create a so-called Wiesnhit, a popular song which dominates the bands’ playlists. Since 1984, when Fürstenfeld became the first song of this kind, there has been an annual discussion about this year’s Wiesnhit. In addition to the festival band, a show band was featured for the first time in 2015, performing from 7 to 9 p.m. With stage fog and a light show setting the scene, the tent thus stands in stark contrast to the typical beer tent atmosphere.
This also marked the beginning of a musically rather unsettled period. In 2024, the Nockherberger, formerly Niederalmer, replaced Quetschnblech as the festival band, and in 2026, they were replaced by Rainer Hernek's Ludwig-Thoma-Musikanten, who provided the music for the Bräurosl for 47 years until 2019. A party band is again being used for the evening break from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Tetrapack will move over from Ammer and replace Nachtstark.
If you like to have a table on your own, early afternoons at Winzerer Fähndl may be a good idea for you, as they tend to be very calm there.
Architecture
The current tent from 2010 is very bright and open, which makes you aware of the tent's particularly large span. In 2015, there was a new feature in the interior that quickly caught the eye. Since then, the music podium echoes the design elements of the iconic tower in front of the tent. The lower part of the tower has also been discreetly embellished. In the same year, the first ring main for the tap rooms was buried under the new building. As with the previous tent, the central aisle is completely divided into boxes. In 2018, the façade was redesigned for the third time since 2010.
Contrary to what many articles claim, the tent does not have the largest capacity at the Oktoberfest.
Reservations 2026
Reservations for 2026 can be requested since March 4 in the reservation form. We don't recommend preordering pricey and impractical prefixed menus.
Caution is also advised regarding the many tables that are now being offered for eleven people. At these tables, an eleventh person sits at the end of a table designed for ten. Anyone familiar with beer tables knows that ten people barely have room to eat there.
While this seating arrangement isn’t new at Winzerer, these tables are being reserved for eleven people instead of ten for the first time. As a result, coupons or even prefixed menus must be purchased for an additional person, even though they don’t have an acceptable place to eat.