Armbrustschützenzelt

The Inselkammer family has been running the Armbrustschützenzelt (Crossbowmens’ tent) since 1990. As only the large Munich breweries are allowed to provide Oktoberfest beer, Paulaner is served here instead of the family-owned Ayinger. Corresponding to the tent’s origin, it’s home to a shooting range, in which the Annual Bavarian Oktoberfest Crossbow Shooting takes place, as well as a celebrity shooting.

The tent’s façade cites the architecture of the Bavarian Oberland, south of Munich, as well as the tradition of the ancient Oktoberfest beer castle architecture. A hog is sitting on top of the front gallery, which is decorated by the employees before the beginning of Oktoberfest.

The food at the Armbrustschützenzelt is among the better ones at the Oktoberfest. The fact that prices may often be a bit higher than in other tents is justified with large portions and side salads.

The previously rather inconspicuous Halali Bar, located to the left of the entrance, will be replaced in 2025 by a bar serving everything except beer, which will be three times the size and can also be accessed from the garden.

Music and Atmosphere

The Armbrustschützenzelt is one of the beer tents that tends to fill up later than others. The crowd is difficult to characterize, but certainly not among the youngest at the Oktoberfest. The atmosphere is somewhat more subdued, however, at the same time not especially appealing to traditionalists. At least at the beginning of the evening, you can still hear some brass band music.

Since 2018, MyOmei has been playing during the evening break from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Things get more traditional every Wednesday at noon, when Goaßlschnoizn and Schuhplattler are performed.

History

The crossbow association Winzerer Fähndl has been present at Oktoberfest since 1895. Today’s Armbrustschützenzelt originates from their first tent, as the association moved from the large Winzerer Fähndl to its smaller successor in 1926. It received today’s look and size not before the legendary Richard Süßmeier took it over in 1956 and finally succeeded in moving it to its present spot in the Wirtsbudenstraße in 1965.

Reservations 2025

The Armbrustschützenzelt is exceptionally newbie-friendly. In the past years, they always publicly offered some weekend and evening reservations. For 2025, the reservation form opened on March 13. As in 2024, it included slots for all weekend afternoons, except for the first Saturday from the beginngin. On April 1st even all evenings were released, however only for the Adler balcony. Last-minute reservations for all Saturdays were offered in 2023, too.

Unfortunately, weekend lunch reservations start already at 9 am, which renders them highly unfavorable.