Oktoberfest weather: sun in the beer garden or rain on the Wiesn?
The Oktoberfest starts on a Saturday in the second half of September and ends on the first Sunday in October, or on 3 October. Inside the big tents the weather hardly matters. Outside it decides a lot: whether the beer gardens fill up in the sun, and whether you find a seat in a tent without a reservation – on rainy days, everyone wants to go inside. In September, about 60 % of days in Munich stay dry.
How likely is the right weather?
The share of days that stay dry (less than 1 mm of rain), per month. Tap a month to see its numbers.
- poor
- fair
- good
- excellent
- The moment's season
September at a glance
Your odds of dry weather
60 % chance that a given day in September stays dry
Chance of at least one dry day: 84 %
On average 1.2 of 2 days stay dry.
A guide from long-term averages, not a forecast. Days are counted as independent; weather comes in spells, so the real odds are somewhat lower.
Warm afternoons, cool nights
Late September in Munich can still feel like summer: in September, days reach about 20 °C on average. But when you leave the tent at night, it is often only around 11 °C – bring a jacket to wear over your dirndl or lederhosen.
September or October?
The festival straddles two months. The September days are usually warmer; in October they are cooler, and the evenings get dark earlier – in September the sun sets at about 19:29. Tap October in the calendar above to compare.
Beer festivals elsewhere
The share of dry days in the festival month in Munich and at other big beer festivals: the Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart, Oktoberfest Zinzinnati in Cincinnati and the Oktoberfest in Blumenau, Brazil.
- 75 %
- 65 %
- 60 %
- 51 %
Quick answers
What is the weather like at the Oktoberfest?
Usually mild: in September, Munich averages about 20 °C by day and 11 °C at night. About 60 % of days stay dry.
Does it rain a lot at the Oktoberfest?
It rains (1 mm or more) on about 12 days in September. A light rain jacket helps; on rainy days the tents fill up fast.
What should I wear to the Oktoberfest?
Layers: it is warm in the afternoon sun but cool after dark, at around 11 °C. A jacket and sturdy shoes help on rainy days.
How the numbers are worked out
All values are long-term averages for 1996–2025: rain days count 1 mm or more of precipitation, snow days 1 cm or more of fresh snow. The snow chance is the one on our destination pages. Clear sky is 100 % minus the mean cloud cover. Sunrise, sunset and darkness are calculated for the 15th of each month. The weather on a given day can be very different; check the forecast before you go.
Climate averages 1996–2025 (sunshine partly WMO station normals 1991–2020), not a forecast. Data: Copernicus ERA5 / ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0), NOAA OISST, WMO 1991–2020 (NOAA NCEI), GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Sources & licences
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