I love octoberfest. I enjoyed it before kids, partying in the tents. I love singing and dancing and drinking beer. But Octoberfest with kids is also a lot of fun. A different kind of fun but still great.
How I do Munich’s Octoberfest with kids:
1. Go early – we aim to arrive right at 10am when they open
2. Go on a weekday – if you have this luxury take it! The place is not crowded and you can walk calmly through the fair grounds with out the worry you will loose your toddler. I have heard that the Oide Wiesn is also not crazy crowded early on weekend days although I have never tried.
3. Go to the Oide Wiesn – It is the part of the Octoberfest that celebrates the octoberfests of the past. You pay a small entry fee of 3 euros and inside all the rides are only 1euro. All the rides inside are rather tame and geared for a younger crowd. This allows me to let my two boys go on just about everything they want. We start at one end and work our way around the to the tent with the old tractors outside. There we spend a fair amount of time playing with the juggling equipment they had out for everyone to try. And directly inside from the juggling is a craft corner. Both are no additional fee. The boys enjoyed the crafting and trying out all the different juggling equipment. They also regularly turn on and drive around the old tractors which is also fun for my boys to watch.
4. Have an exit strategy – My exit strategy is always that they get a balloon as we leave so they are excited to leave because they get to pick out their balloon. The balloons inside the oide wiesn are also cheaper than the ones on the main stretch. My treat is always a small portion of candied almonds…yum..the kids like them too!
Hope you enjoy your 2019 trip to Munich’s Octoberfest with your children! If you are looking for family pictures in and around Munich then check out my remembering Munich sessions and then send me a message.