Oktoberfest Trivia
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134 free Oktoberfest trivia questions with answers — food & drink quiz, new questions added Oct 2026.
45 free Oktoberfest trivia questions with answers. Oktoberfest is the world's largest folk festival, and this quiz covers it from the wedding that started it in 1810 to the seven million litres of beer poured on Munich's Theresienwiese each autumn. It runs through the history (the horse race, the cholera cancellations, the wars, the 1980 bombing), the rituals (the mayor's first keg, 'O'zapft is!', the twelve-gun salute, the costume parade), the beer (which six breweries may pour it, why it is called Märzen, the Reinheitsgebot), the food and dress (Weisswurst, pretzels, dirndls, lederhosen) and the copycat Oktoberfests from Cincinnati to Blumenau. About a third of the questions are easy enough for anyone who has been to an Oktoberfest party; the rest climb steadily to details that will stump most Munich regulars. It works as a solo test or a ready-made round for an autumn quiz night or an Oktoberfest party game. Every answer has been checked against a reference source and each question shows its citation.
30 of 134 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What is a Hendl, the classic meal served in the Oktoberfest beer tents?
Roast chicken
Roast chicken: half a Hendl is so standard an order that bank economists once tracked the cost of a festival visit with an index of two litres of beer, half a chicken and a transit ticket.
Q 02What event did the very first Oktoberfest, in October 1810, celebrate?
A royal wedding
A royal wedding: Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese on 12 October 1810, and the meadow where the city celebrated was named Theresienwiese in the bride's honour.
Q 03Which song do the tent bands strike up every few minutes, ending with everyone drinking together?
Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit
'Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit' caught on after a Wiesn landlord began handing out songbooks to his guests in 1898, so that they could sing along with his 30-man band.
Q 04Which fairground ride made its Oktoberfest debut in 1818?
A carousel
A carousel was set up in 1818, but the fairground only boomed from the 1870s, when new trade rules and the railways let showmen travel.
Q 05Despite its name, in which month has most of Oktoberfest fallen since the 19th century?
September
September hosts most of the festival: the opening was moved into late September during the 19th century to take advantage of warmer evenings, so only the final days fall in October.
Q 06Roughly how many visitors does Oktoberfest attract each year?
Around 7 million
Around 7 million: the record is the 7.4 million of 2026, set in a standard 16-day run, beating the 7.2 million of 2023, which had needed 18 days.
Q 07Which Bavarian phrase does the mayor shout after tapping the first keg?
O'zapft is!
'O'zapft is!' ('It's tapped!') sounds age-old, but the ritual is younger than it looks: Mayor Thomas Wimmer first performed it in 1950.
Q 08In which tent does the mayor tap the first keg at exactly noon on opening day?
Schottenhamel
Schottenhamel hosts the ceremony because that is where Mayor Thomas Wimmer first tapped a keg in 1950; until the mayor has done so, no other tent may pour.
Q 09After tapping the first keg, the mayor traditionally wishes the crowd what kind of Wiesn?
A peaceful one
A peaceful one: 'Auf eine friedliche Wiesn!' follows the tapping, which the crowd watches closely, betting on how many mallet blows the mayor will need; two is the record.
Q 10Traditionally, who is served the very first litre of Oktoberfest beer?
The Minister-President of Bavaria
The Minister-President of Bavaria receives the first Maß: the mayor who hammered in the tap fills it and hands it over, a custom the city dates to 1980.
Q 11Which mascot leads the Oktoberfest parades, followed by the mayor in a horse-drawn carriage?
The Münchner Kindl
The Münchner Kindl ('Munich child') is the little monk from Munich's coat of arms; in the Oktoberfest parades the role is played by a young woman on horseback.
Q 12How many breweries are allowed to sell beer at Oktoberfest?
Six
Six: the city admits only large, long-established breweries that brew within Munich's limits, which shuts out even famous Bavarian names from outside the city.
Q 13Which of these famous Bavarian breweries is barred from pouring at Oktoberfest?
Erdinger
Erdinger is brewed in Erding, outside the city, and only beer brewed within Munich's limits qualifies as Oktoberfestbier.
Q 21Investigators concluded in 2020 that the 1980 bombing at Oktoberfest's main entrance was what kind of attack?
Far-right terrorism
Far-right terrorism: the bomber, a 21-year-old right-wing extremist, died in the blast with twelve others, and prosecutors who reopened the case in 2014 concluded he had wanted to sway the 1980 federal election.
Q 22Which noon ritual on the last day traditionally brings Oktoberfest to a close?
A gun salute at the Bavaria statue
A gun salute at the Bavaria statue: about 60 marksmen in costume fire black-powder charges from the steps at noon, though the tents keep celebrating until late in the evening.
Q 23Before the COVID-19 pandemic, which event had last forced Oktoberfest to be cancelled?
Q 14Which pastry, sold by the basketful, is the classic snack in the Oktoberfest tents?
Pretzel
Pretzel, or Brezn in Bavarian: the Wiesn version is baked far larger than the everyday kind, and unlike the thin-armed Swabian pretzel its arms are left thick so they stay soft.
Q 15Which paler beer style has largely replaced Märzen in the Oktoberfest tents since the late 20th century?
Festbier
Festbier was built to be easier to drink by the litre than the heavier, maltier Märzen; the name 'Oktoberfestbier' itself is legally reserved for beer from Munich's breweries.
Q 16Which Bavarian sausage, made from veal and pork, is traditionally eaten before noon at Oktoberfest?
Weisswurst
Weisswurst, the saying goes, must not hear the noon church bells, a rule usually put down to the days before refrigeration, when sausages made fresh each morning would not keep.
Q 17What is the unofficial Oktoberfest sport in which competitors hold a full litre mug out at arm's length?
Masskrugstemmen
Masskrugstemmen is won by whoever holds the full mug out longest: the arm must stay straight, and one spilled drop means you are out; the sport now has its own governing body in the United States.
Q 18Which two colours, taken from the Bavarian flag, dominate Oktoberfest tent decorations?
White and blue
White and blue are the colours of the Wittelsbachs, the royal house that ruled Bavaria until 1918 and under whose patronage the festival was held until the monarchy fell.
Q 19Which brothers, who outfitted the 1910 Oktoberfest centenary parade, turned dirndls and lederhosen into city fashion?
Julius and Moritz Wallach
Julius and Moritz Wallach costumed the centenary parade free of charge from their Munich folk-costume shop; the Jewish brothers were later forced out by the Nazis, and Moritz emigrated to the United States.
Q 20Which Bavarian folk dance involves rhythmic slapping of the thighs and knees?
The Schuhplattler
The Schuhplattler, from the Alpine regions of Upper Bavaria, Tyrol and Salzburg, has dancers strike their thighs, knees and shoe soles in rhythm, originally as a courtship display.
The Second World War
The Second World War stopped the festival from 1939, and a full Oktoberfest did not return until 1949; even after the 1980 bombing, the mayor decided that night not to call the festival off.
Q 24Which disease forced Oktoberfest to be cancelled in both 1854 and 1873?
Cholera
Cholera: the 1854 epidemic killed about 3,000 people in Munich, among them Queen Therese, for whom the festival meadow is named; the disease returned in 1873.
Q 25Which ride, on the Wiesn in its present form since 1979, is often called the symbol of Oktoberfest?
The Ferris wheel
The Ferris wheel run by the Willenborg family has stood on the Wiesn since 1979; its gondolas look out over the whole festival ground to the old town and, in clear weather, the Alps.
Q 26On which day of the week does Oktoberfest always open?
Saturday
Saturday: the festival always opens at noon on a Saturday and closes on a Sunday or, in longer years, a public holiday, so every edition takes in three weekends.
Q 27Which Italian city has sent police officers to help manage Oktoberfest crowds since 2005?
Bolzano
Bolzano, capital of German-speaking South Tyrol, has sent officers since 2005 to help especially on the second weekend, when Italian visitors flood in.
Q 28What did the 2005 'quiet Oktoberfest' rule restrict before 6 pm?
Only brass music, capped at 85 decibels
Only brass music, capped at 85 decibels, may be played until 6 pm: the city wanted afternoons to stay family-friendly and calmer before the party hits start in the evening.
Q 29Which mock execution has the Schichtl show staged on Oktoberfest volunteers since 1869?
A beheading by guillotine
A beheading by guillotine: the Schichtl variety theatre 'decapitates' a volunteer from the audience around 25 times a day, a gag that has outlived its founder by more than a century.
Q 30Which tent hosts 'Gay Sunday', the heart of the Rosa Wiesn, on the festival's first Sunday?
Bräurosl
Bräurosl fills with the LGBT community every first Sunday; the gathering grew out of one club's block booking of the tent's balcony, and a quieter 'RoslMontag' meet-up now follows the next day.