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Rows of wooden tables and benches under chestnut trees in a Bavarian beer garden
Rufus46, CC BY-SA

Bavaria

Bavaria’s food festivals and culinary experiences: Munich’s Oktoberfest, the Viktualienmarkt, Kulmbach’s Bierwoche, with practical tips.

  • 6food festivals
  • 1culinary experience

Food festivals in Bavaria

Copper brewing kettles behind the round bar at Paulaner am Nockherberg in MunichUser:Mateus2019, CC BYBeerFeb 26 to Mar 21

Starkbierzeit at the Nockherberg

Munich’s strong beer festival at Paulaner am Nockherberg, 26 February to 21 March 2027: Salvator beer, tickets, tables for ten and practical tips.MunichView
Visitors strolling the Frühlingsfest grounds with St Paul's church under a blue sky, MunichUsien, CC BY-SABeerUsually Apr, May

Munich Frühlingsfest

Munich’s spring beer festival on the Theresienwiese: Augustiner and Spaten tents, a wheat beer garden, free entry. 2027 dates not yet published.MunichView
Fairground stalls and crowds under big trees at the Erlanger BergkirchweihJanericloebe, Public domainBeerMay 13 to 24

Erlanger Bergkirchweih

Erlangen’s twelve-day beer festival in the Keller of the Burgberg, 13 to 24 May 2027: Festmärzenbier, Rauchbier, table bookings and rules.ErlangenView
Aerial view of Kulmbach and Plassenburg castleReinhold Möller Ermell, CC BY-SABeerJul 31 to Aug 8

Kulmbacher Bierwoche

Kulmbach’s nine-day beer festival in Upper Franconia, from 31 July to 8 August 2027: free entry to the grounds and the Stadl, a walk from the station.KulmbachView
Visitors walking between fairground stalls at the Gäubodenvolksfest in StraubingDALIBRI, CC BY-SABeerAug 13 to 23

Gäubodenvolksfest

Straubing’s Volksfest, 13 to 23 August 2027: seven beer tents, five local breweries, free entry, table rules and getting there.StraubingView
Inside the Hacker-Festzelt beer tent at the Oktoberfest, under its painted sky ceilingkallerna, CC BY-SABeerSep 18 to Oct 3

Oktoberfest

Munich’s beer festival on the Theresienwiese, 18 September to 3 October 2027 (announced): beer, tents, reservations, quiet times.MunichView

Culinary experiences in Bavaria

Fruit and vegetable stalls with striped awnings at the Viktualienmarkt in MunichHenning Schlottmann (User:H-stt), CC BY-SAFood tour1.5 to 3.5 hours

Viktualienmarkt food tour

Guided food tours of Munich’s Viktualienmarkt: five operators compared, 39 to 100 euros per adult, 1.5 to 3.5 hours, in German or in English depending on the tour.MunichView

Cities and towns in Bavaria

Erlangen Palace and the Paulibrunnen fountain on the Schlossplatz under a blue skyH.Helmlechner, CC BY-SA1 listing

Erlangen

Erlanger Bergkirchweih
Plassenburg fortress above the rooftops of Kulmbach under a blue skyReinhold Möller Ermell, CC BY-SA1 listing

Kulmbach

Kulmbacher Bierwoche
The Neues Rathaus and Marienplatz seen from Peterskirche over the red roofs of MunichDiliff, CC BY-SA4 listings

Munich

Munich FrühlingsfestOktoberfestStarkbierzeit at the Nockherberg
The tower of St James church rising over the red roofs of StraubingBenutzer:Donaulustig, Public domain1 listing

Straubing

Gäubodenvolksfest

Map of Bavaria

Food festivals in Bavaria, month by month

  1. Jan
  2. 1Feb
  3. 1Mar
  4. 1Apr
  5. 2May
  6. Jun
  7. 1Jul
  8. 2Aug
  9. 1Sep
  10. 1Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Bavaria, Germany’s largest state by area, is beer-hall country, and its capital Munich hosts the best known of its festivals, Oktoberfest. The festival is run by the City of Munich, and only beer from six Munich breweries may be served on the grounds.

For a food-focused trip, Munich is the natural base. The Viktualienmarkt in the old town is open Monday to Saturday and has a beer garden that rotates between the city’s large breweries every five to six weeks, which makes it a useful stop outside festival season too. Its blue-and-white maypole, put up in 1962, is the usual meeting point.

When to go

September and early October belong to Oktoberfest, which fills Munich’s hotels well in advance. In Upper Franconia, in the north of the state, the brewing town of Kulmbach holds its Bierwoche at the turn of July and August: from 31 July to 8 August in 2027. Three more beer festivals fill the calendar: Munich’s spring Frühlingsfest on the Theresienwiese, the Bergkirchweih in the Keller of Erlangen’s Burgberg, from 13 to 24 May 2027, and the Gäubodenvolksfest in Straubing, from 13 to 23 August 2027, with seven tents and five local breweries. If you want the food without the crowds, the rest of the year is calmer: the market trades from Monday to Saturday, and guided food tours of it start from 39 euros per adult.