Construction for Oktoberfest 2026 in Munich officially began on 29 June at 7 am for a 12-week period, with over 2,000 workers on-site to build 17 large festival tents, 21 small tents, and carnival rides from scratch.
Construction for the 191st Munich Oktoberfest has started at Theresienwiese, 82 days before opening day. Cranes, forklifts, and workers are now transforming the festival grounds
Over the next 12 weeks, one of Europe's largest temporary construction sites will take shape through a phased schedule to keep festival tents, rides, and infrastructure on track.
Each large festival tent requires an estimated 70 to 100 truck deliveries, along with extensive electrical, gas, and water connections. Fire safety inspections and TÜV are also conducted a few days before the tents start operating. Around 2,000 workers are on-site to carry out Oktoberfest 2026 preparations.
Organizers have divided the Oktoberfest construction schedule into two zones. The main Oktoberfest site and the Oide Wiesn allow tent contractors, ride operators, and utility crews to work simultaneously without disrupting one another.
The Oktoberfest setup follows a tight schedule. In the first phase of construction, the large festival tents, including Paulaner and Löwenbräu, are built on the Theresienwiese, followed by the smaller tents. At the end of August, the carnival operators will arrive at the construction site to install tall rides, such as the Ferris wheel and the roller coasters. Next come the other rides, carousels, and the carnival booths, which are completed by the week before the Oktoberfest 2026 opening day.
Access to the Theresienwiese is restricted during the setup period. Munich Tourism is running public guided tours of the site every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday throughout the construction phase.
Oktoberfest tents, attractions, and rides take nearly 2 to 2.5 months to fully assemble, as all festival structures are disassembled after the festival ends in October.