Löwenbräu-Festzelt

The Löwenbräu brewery's tent is run by the second and third generations of the Hagn/Spendler family. Wiggerl Hagen, the first generation, was the longest-serving Oktoberfest tent operator until his tumultuous departure in 2018. He became the landlord of the tent in 1979 and had previously run the Schützen-Festhalle, initially alongside his father, starting in 1953. The tent’s trademark—the roaring lion on the facade—has been a part of the Oktoberfest for just a few years longer than he has. Re-framed in 2012 and completely refurbished in 2016, it has been winning over thirsty walk-in customers since 1949. And it did so so effectively that, following protests from neighbors, it was fitted with a muzzle in 1952. In 2026, it was given a new tail.

The current tent’s design dates back to 1956, while the current structure was built in 1999. In 2012, the murals to the left and right of the lion were unfortunately replaced by rather plain windows—which are covered by blinds for many hours of the day anyway—and a smoking balcony was added to the facade. A year earlier, the 16,500 light bulbs that illuminate the interior had been replaced with energy-efficient LEDs. Although the large arched light fixtures are undeniably the defining feature of the interior’s appearance, it was sadly decided in 2024 to no longer turn them all on in the evening.

The 40-meter-high tower next to the tent, which was introduced in 1966, was replaced with a new one in 2016. The façade was also refreshed as part of this project—though the large windows were not removed, the blinds were taken down. In 2023 and 2024, additional storage space was created on the upper floor, and a central beer storage facility was set up in 2024. In 2025, the garden on the south side was equipped with umbrellas.

The Damische Ritter have a special connection to the Löwenbräu tent; not only do they have their own box, but they even ride along when the landlord moves in and help tap the first beer keg.

At lunchtime, when a manageable number of guests are still making their way into the tent, particularly affordable lunch specials are offered on the otherwise quite expensive menu.

Atmosphere and Music

The tent is popular not least among tourists, both Italians and Anglo-Saxons. This may be due not only to Löwenbräu’s former strength in exports but also to the music, which in the evening is almost exclusively in English and transforms the tent into Munich’s largest Irish pub. Given the growing number of disco tents, however, the Löwenbräu tent—with its Goaßlschnoizer musicians, real festival band, and lack of special effects lighting—is now actually one of the more conventional tents, and definitely worth a visit.

Most articles still mention that the players and fans of TSV 1860 Munich also gather in the Löwenbräu tent. However, Löwenbräu was the team’s sponsor for just five years and has not been one since 1999. The players have long since moved to the Hacker tent; after all, Hacker-Pschorr has been one of the main sponsors since 2004.

Reservations 2026

On March 4, 2026, a reservation form was activated for the first time. On March 11, the first reasonably relevant reservations, Sunday afternoons, were publicly offered for the very first time.