Schottenhamel-Festhalle

The Schottenhamel family has been around for a fabulously long time. Their beer tent was established in 1867. In 1872 they were the first to introduce the Märzen beer to Oktoberfest, which only happened due to short supplies of the usually sold summer beer after an unusually hot summer. The students and soldiers, who made up a good portion of their guests back then, were very pleased by this new sort of beer and willingly paid a higher price for the stronger brew. The Schottenhamel tent is still today a popular destination among students and other young guests. Some fraternities even have their own tables in the students’ box in the back of the tent.

In 1950, the landlord at that time, Michael Schottenhamel, had a very sustainable idea by engaging Mayor Thomas Wimmer for tapping the first barrel ins his tent. A new tradition was born, which spread all over Bavaria.

Until 2015, the tent’s look had not changed much since 1953. Unfortunately, in 2016 a new lighting concept premiered, turning the tent into a discotheque for good. The current building was inaugurated in 2000. Seating is here is rather unusual as tables are smaller and benches on all four sides increase the density. Some appreciate the consequential cuddliness, others argue that a little more space for eating would be more comfortable.

Since 2023, the tent has been allowed to serve wine and liquour as well. Therefore, the tent received a small bar, next to the main entrance, in 2024.

In 2025, the southern beer garden underwent some redesign. By relocating the beer tanks at the rear end, another large parasol can be added and the seating optimized.

Music and Atmosphere

The walk-in section fills up quickly every day with a very young crowd, while the rest of the tent doesn’t fill up until the evening with guests who have made reservations. Part of the tent is reserved in three shifts. As its popularity has grown, the last Sunday at Schottenhamel has recently established itself as the third major gay gathering spot at the Wiesn.

The Otto Schwarzfischer band is known, on the one hand, for performing the occasional more sophisticated piece earlier in the day, but unfortunately also for frequent repeats in the evening. Furthermore, the band may not have been entirely uninvolved in coining the term “Ballermannwiesn.” The music alternates between Ballermann hits—complete with endless “Zickezacke” tirades—and Top 40 music, which is atypical for a beer tent.

In 2022, the band was replaced by a show band for the first time starting at 8:30 p.m. Schwarzfrischer musician Max Gutsmiedl then swaps his traditional costume for a polo shirt and, with a smaller lineup than during the day, creates an atmosphere somewhere between “Bierkönig” and a high school prom through numerous show segments. The repertoire includes an unusually large amount of current chart music and primarily caters to the wishes of the youngest beer drinkers. Despite the Schottenhamel family's long history, this tent is thus one of the least traditionally run large tents at the Wiesn.

Reservations 2026

Reservations for very short shifts at the Schottenhamel-Festhalle can be requested using the reservation form since December 18. However, some of the reservation slots are very short—as little as three hours. We do not recommend the multi-course menus, which are unusual for a beer tent.

At the beginning, only irrelevant time slots were available. Sunday afternoons followed on Sunday 12. Generally, the tent doesn't offer evening reservations publicly.