Oktoberfest & Stuttgart Beer Festival: How Do They Compare?
Pretty much everyone (who doesn’t live in a cave, though even some of them do too) is familiar with Oktoberfest in Munich. Outside of Germany, though, not that many people know about the Stuttgart Beer Festival (known locally as Cannstatter Volksfest). Thing is, Stuttgart’s festival is the next biggest, craziest thing in Europe as far as beer festivals go.
So how do these two festivals compare to each other? And what sets them apart? We’ve got all your answers!
How many people attend?
Oktoberfest is the mother of them all – the biggest beer and folk festival in the world. In 2023, a record-breaking 7.2 million people attended Oktoberfest in Munich. (Up from 5.7 million in 2022 and 6.3 million in 2019.)
As the second-largest festival of its kind, the Stuttgart Beer Festival typically sees around 4 million visitors per year. Even though that’s nearly half of Oktoberfest, that’s still an insane number as far as festivals are concerned.
Beer tents
At Oktoberfest, you can party hard in any of the 16 big beer tents (which can reach up to 10,000 people in capacity). There are also 22 “smaller” beer tents which actually aren’t that “small” at all.
In Stuttgart, you’ll have your choice of 9 large beer tents covering many different themes, with some cool features like rotating bars and an alpine sled that soars over the crowd, and hosting some of the best parties. These tents can hold up to 6,600 people at once.
Rides and games
Both Oktoberfest in Munich and the Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart play host to tons of fun games and crazy rides. Both festivals feature similar carnival-style atmospheres with plenty of prizes to be won and questionable decisions to be made. Please ride before you imbibe, just saying.
Beer and food
Both festivals feature some amazing beer and food, but with slightly different themes and flavors.
Oktoberfest in Munich features only beer from Munich’s “Big 6”—specially-brewed festival beer in traditional Bavarian styles. In Stuttgart, you have a bit less choice as far as breweries are concerned and the beer here is less recognizable than the brands you’ll find in Munich. You also have a much larger choices of drinks which are not beer in Stuttgart, like liquor, local Schnapps and wine. Want a vodka-orange or Bacardi-cola for a change? Not a problem.
Food at Oktoberfest centers around traditional Bavarian cuisine. You’ll find a lot of half-chickens, bratwursts, pretzels, and potatoes on potatoes on potatoes. Stuttgart, however, is not located in Bavaria, so the cuisine differs slightly. You can still find some of your favorite Bavarian go-tos at the Cannstatter Volksfest, but you’ll also find amazing dishes with a more Swabian slant.
Prices
I don’t think anyone would be shocked to learn that prices are a wee bit higher at Oktoberfest (the world-famous festival) than they are in Stuttgart (at the more locals-only affair).
For example, a liter of beer in 2023 at Oktoberfest averaged around €14.50. At the Stuttgart Beer Festival in 2023, you would have paid about a euro less. The food (don’t forget to eat!) is also more expensive at Oktoberfest.
However, both festivals are still free to enter and free to get into the beer tents too!
When do they take place?
Oktoberfest in Munich always begins on a Saturday in mid-September and lasts until either the first Sunday in October or until October 3rd, whichever comes last. Most years that’s 16 days but sometimes (like 2023) you get 18 glorious beer-filled days and nights.
The Stuttgart Beer Festival lasts just as long, but starts and ends a week later than Oktoberfest. (So, yes, that’s your sign to attend both of them!)
Want to know more about Oktoberfest and/or the Stuttgart Beer Festival? Forget about asking questions, get your answers in person! Check out our Oktoberfest tours, our Stuttgart Beer Festival tours, or our Beer or Bust tour that takes you to both. You’re welcome.
For more info visit the official festival websites at www.oktoberfest.de and www.cannstatter-volksfest.de/en/
