Oktoberfest hosts reject opaque tent allocation claims

Oktoberfest tent operators have again rejected claims that the allocation process is opaque and warned that European Union wide tendering could open the festival to beer brands such as Guinness, BR reported on Sunday.

The dispute comes less than four weeks before a hearing over the allocation of Oktoberfest tents. The Munich Oktoberfest hosts association said the application process for tent spaces was not arbitrary but followed published rules approved by the Munich city council and repeatedly upheld by courts.

The claimant, restaurateur Alexander Egger, is seeking EU wide tenders for tent spaces, citing the Schottenhamel festival hall and the Paulaner tent. The Bavarian Supreme Court is due to hear the case on September 11. The hosts association hopes the court will dismiss Egger’s claim and allow the current system to continue.

Munich traditionally allocates the Oktoberfest tents in close coordination with the city’s major breweries. The association said rejected applicants could have the outcome reviewed by a court and, after being turned down, could inspect the successful applicant’s evaluation, except where business secrets or data protection rules applied.

The hosts also addressed the possible effect of EU wide tendering on the beer brands served at Oktoberfest. Egger had argued that the city could still require vendors to sell only Munich beer. The association said that would be only partly correct because such a restriction could be unlawful if other products fulfilled the desired purpose. It warned that Guinness, Kölsch and other brands could then enter the market.

The September hearing will not affect Oktoberfest 2026. In June, the Bavarian Supreme Court ruled that the two affected operators could receive approval for this year and build their tents despite the ongoing legal dispute.

Egger also lost a separate legal challenge over his application for the folk singer tent at the Oidn Wiesn. He had argued that the competing application was rated too highly and his own too low by the selection panel. The administrative court rejected his case.

The city did approve Egger’s smaller Münchner Stubn tent for this year’s Oktoberfest, but he will not use the approval. In an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung, he mainly attributed that decision to hostility directed at him.