Get to Know the 8 Stuttgart Beer Festival Beer Tents
Much like at Oktoberfest in Munich, the biggest parties at the Stuttgart Beer Festival take place inside a collection of massive beer tents. Each of these beer tents has something unique to offer and they’re all worth checking out. Volksfest real estate at its best!
While visiting all the Stuttgart Beer Festival beer tents may be a challenge (that we’re always up for, obviously), here’s a little bit about each one to help you pick and choose where to start: (in alphabeertical order)
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1. Almhüttendorf
One of the quirkiest and most loved areas of the Stuttgart Beer Festival is the Alpine Village, a whole section of the festival resembling and dedicated to a love of the French Alps. (Die Almhütten is German for “The Alpine Hut.”) The Almhüttendorf is also sometimes referred to as Nina’s Almhütte after festival landlady Nina Renoldi.
Inside the Alpine Village you’ll find the Almhüttendorf, a log-cabin-esque beer tent that brings you the coziness of an Alpine mountain chalet and the Tyrolean specialty foods that’ll fill you up and warm your bones.
Almhütten food and drink
Some of the foods you can expect to find in the Alpine Hut include:
- Juicy woodcutter steak
- Merano herbal sausage
- Yeast dumplings
- Tons of other signature alpine delights
Inside the Almhütten you have the choice to drink Stuttgarter Hofbräu and Erdinger Weißbier as well as red and white wines, sparkling wines, cocktails, schnapps, even non-alcoholic beverages if you so choose. (You lost though?)
If it’s an après-ski vibe you’re looking for (or just something a little different) here at the Cannstatter Volksfest, bring your yodeling self over to the Almhüttendorf.
2. Fürstenberg Festzelt
One of the biggest parties at the Stuttgart Beer Festival takes place at the Fürstenberg Festzelt. Unlike the tents at Oktoberfest, The Fürstenberg Festzelt is a little bit about tradition and a lot about fest-versions of classic party jams. (You’ll be surprised at what they can do with an alphorn.)
There are lights and lasers, big screens, all-night dancing, songs you’ll definitely know, and live bands in fun costumes.
In the Fürstenberg Festzelt you’ll drink Fürstenberg beer as well as wine and champagne, and cocktails at their bar. And you’ll chow down on local Swabian dishes like grilled pork steak, roast beef with fried onions, and spätzel galore.
But maybe the best part about the Fürstenbergzelt is “Ladies Day” where ladies drink for free! Let me repeat: Ladies. Drink. For free. At the Stuttgart Beer Festival.
3. Göckelesmaier
The Cannstatter Volksfest bills the Göckelesmaier as a “perfect mixture of tradition, good food and drink and merriment” and we’d have to agree. The Göckelesmaier tent has been operating for over 80 years so they know a little bit about how to make it all work for every type of visitor.
The Göckelesmaier is also known as the “fanciest” tent on the Wasen and you’ll understand why when you see their décor. There’s definitely more of a hip vibe here than a traditional one.
But one of the most unique (and not dangerous at all) reasons to visit the Göckelesmaier tent is for Frisbeer! Every night of the festival at 8 pm they toss 80 Frisbees into the crowd. If you catch one, you get a free maß! See? They can mix fancy with Frisbee and it still works!
The Göckelesmaier tent serves up Stuttgarter Hofbräu beer (and bubbly) and delicious festival specialties.
4. Grandls Hofbräu Zelt
Another of the most popular Cannstatter Volksfest beer tents is Grandls Hofbräu Zelt, known for their non-stop party atmosphere (which you can check out in their daily photo and video galleries as well as their live cam).
At Grandls you’ll sip on (or chug, whatever) Stuttgarter Hofbräu beer, Stuttgart’s most popular beverage, wines and champagnes, vodka, gin, and schnapps. That’s quite specific but that’s just how they roll.
For food, they offer what they call a “culinary pampering program” and if that doesn’t sound promising, we don’t know what does. Inside the Grandls Hofbräu Zelt you can try some of their signature dishes like the “Boeuf de Hohenlohe” and the “Schwäbisch Hällische.” Then come back here and let us know exactly what that is because it sounds delicious.
Additionally, you have all the festival classics here: roast ox and half chickens, pork sausages, soups, and much, much more.
5. Klauss & Klauss Dinkelacker Festzelt
The Klauss & Klauss Dinkelacker Festzelt is where the opening ceremonial keg tapping takes place to kick off the Stuttgart Beer Festivities. For obvious reasons, this is known to be one of the most fun tents on the Wasen. (It’s also one of the biggest, size-wise.)
The Dinkelacker Festzelt is also the only tent that exclusively serves beer from their own family’s brewery: Dinkelacker beer—all made from 100% regional ingredients.
The Klauss Brothers’ tent boasts outstanding cuisine and offers regional delicacies, classic fest food, and a daily changing lunch menu so you can try different stuff every time.
The Dinkelacker tent also features a number of fun games and giveaways including a weird kind of beer stein shuffleboard and spinning the Milka wheel for chocolate prizes.
6. Sonja Merz Zelt
Next on the list of awesome Stuttgart Beer Festival beer tents is the Sonja Merz, home to something you won’t find anywhere else at the Cannstatter Volksfest.
It’s true, the Sonja Merz Zelt features something totally unique: a rotating bar on the upper level! This fully-stocked carousel bar, known as the “SchatziBar,” is as fun as it sounds. Grab a seat (or stand, you brave soul you) and watch the festival go by… inside… outside… inside… outside. You can view it all from just one seat.
You can also drink it all as the SchatziBar has everything (Stuttgarter Hofbräu beer, wine, liquor, cocktails, bottles of champagne with sparklers, everything) and the Jägermeisterbar has, well, Jäger.
Beyond the bar, the Sonja Merz tent has seating for 4,800 visitors (+ 500 standing spots) at one of the biggest parties in town. Here you can nosh on all of the Sonja Merz specialities like: ½ roasted duck, giant pork knuckles, schnitzel, brats, and tons more.
7. Wilhelmer’s Schwabenwelt
The Wilhelmer’s Schwabenwelt is said to be one of the most beautiful festival tents in Europe, which we’re sure is true, but is there even such thing as an ugly one? We didn’t think so.
Inside this gigantic timbered creation (capacity: 6,000) you’ll be drinking Schwaben Bräu beer and enjoying their wide range of menu options from traditional fest fare to vegan meals. In addition to your standard maß beer, you also have the option of wine, cocktails, liquor, and more at one of their many, many bars.
8. Zum Wasenwirt
Like many of the other Stuttgart Beer Festival beer tents, Zum Wasenwirt serves Stuttgarter Hofbräu beer and tasty traditional festival dishes. But one thing that sets this tent apart are the Wasen parties.
Put together by one of Stuttgart’s local radio stations, Zum Wasenwirt hosts many Wasen parties that are not to be missed. Also known as Sparbieraktionen—which translates loosely to Save Beer Promotions—these take place every day of the week at the Cannstatter Volksfest. Examples include:
- Super Sundays: discounts on beer and food
- GayDelight Night: Gay and lesbian folk festival
- Line Dancing: self-explanatory
Ready to check out some (or all) of the Stuttgart Beer Festival beer tents? Join one of our awesome Stuttgart Beer Festival tours today!
