2020 marked the first time since 1948 that Munich’s Oktoberfest has not been held at the Theresienwiese. In April, Bavaria’s Minister-President Markus Söder made the historic announcement that due to the pandemic, the 2020 festival would not be held. In the past, Oktoberfest has been canceled a handful of times due to wars and Cholera epidemics, but few people expected the need for such a cancellation in the 21st century.
However, while it is not possible to ensure the safety of visitors in the confined tents and alleys of the Oktoberfest fairgrounds, it is easier to control smaller groups of people within the beer halls and restaurants of Munich. As such, Oktoberfest did still continue in 2020 in Munich, in a smaller, more spread out format. Enter WirtshausWiesn 2020.
From September 19 through October 4, 2020, Oktoberfest moved into the beer halls of Munich, where controlled groups of revelers were still able to don their lederhosen and dirndls and partake in their Oktoberfest beer, pretzels, chicken, and fill of Bavarian music. Of course, all while masked up and maintaining the rules of social distancing.
All six Oktoberfest breweries, as well as a number of other local breweries and restaurants and bars participated in 2020’s Bavarian pub Oktoberfest. 18 brewhouses of the Oktoberfest hosts along with 36 pubs in the city center joined in the event. 54 locations in all. Plenty of options to find a Maß of Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, or Spaten.
Hopefully, we will have a vaccine for the current pandemic in time for the 2021 festivities to resume in a more traditional (though surely a bit more virus-preventive) manner.
Some locations that participated in the WirtshausWiesn in 2020 are:
WirtshausWiesn 2020 Locations
Hofbräuhaus
No trip to Munich is complete without a visit to the city’s most famous beer hall. The Hofbräuhaus was one of the participants in the 2020 Wirsthaus Wiesn, though there was definitely far less seating available in the famous Schwemme main hall. Some benches were taken out between tables, other tables marked off, and there were limits on how many people you could have at your table.
The Hofbräuhaus had a bit of a line on Saturday throughout the day and into the night, so we came back on a Sunday evening when it was much quieter. While the crowd was smaller, there is still quite a festive vibe inside. Masks were required walking in and out, and any time you got up to use the bathroom.
Platzl 9 – Hofbräuhaus Website
Augustiner am Platzl
Augustiner has a number of locations throughout the city that participated in the event. One of the most convenient locations is their restaurant located as well on the Platzl square, right across the street from the Hofbräuhaus. They were full for dinner reservations on Saturday night, but we managed to visit on Sunday at opening and there was no line (those waiting around to get in at 11 were in line for Hofbräuhaus). They also have some tables outside on the street if you don’t wish to dine inside. Since we were alone and it was pretty cold out, we opted for an inside table.
Orlandostr. 5 – Augustiner am Platzl Website
Löwenbräukeller Am Stiglmaierplatz
Löwenbräu is one of the hosts of the Oktoberfest, and their main wirtshaus at Löwenbräukeller Am Stiglmaierplatz, is one of Munich’s most famous beer gardens. Even when it’s not Oktoberfest, you should visit the main wirtshaus.
Nymphenburger Straße 2 – Löwenbräukeller Am Stiglmaierplatz Website
Paulaner am Nockherberg
Paulaner am Nockherberg offers a special treat. Not only is this a large beer garden, but there is a brewery onsite, so the beer is especially fresh.
Hochstraße 77 – Paulaner am Nockherberg Website
Spatenhaus an der Oper
The Spatenhaus an der Oper is located on the Opera House Square, and is more a restaurant than a brauhaus. Though definitely still with a Wiesn vibe. Along with the Spaten Oktoberfest beer, we had some excellent Bavarian dishes. This was the only place we visited where we were able to find the Bavarian Cream dessert, which was excellent! They were pretty full, but tables were all spread apart and plastic dividers between each. People were respectful, and everyone wore their masks getting up to use the bathroom—even those who had been obviously celebrating for quite a few hours.
Residenzstraße 12 – Spatenhaus an der Oper Website
Der Pschorr
Der Pschorr is the large Hacker-Pschorr beer hall and Bavarian food restaurant located on the Viktualienmarkt in Munich center. They focus on locally-sourced food from the nearby region, along with fresh beer tapped direct from the barrel.
Viktualienmarkt 15 – Der Pschorr Website
Schneider Bräuhaus
While not one of the six official Oktoberfest breweries, Schneider Weisse is one of the best Bavarian Weissbier producers out there. And one of our favorite things about this brauhaus is that it opens early, 8AM, for breakfast. This central location is the perfect place for an early morning weisswurst, pretzel, and weizen. It was definitely a different experience than usual though. Gone were the baskets of pretzels on each table and the communal Bavarian mustard containers. Utensils came individually wrapped.
Tal 7 – Schneider Bräuhaus Website
For full information about the WirtshausWiesn 2020, including lists of all 54 locations that participated, visit the home page of Oktoberfest. We hope that next year’s full Oktoberfest will be back on. However, if it’s not, we suspect there will be WirtshausWiesn 2021! Note: In May, 2021, it was announce that Oktoberfest will be cancelled again in 2021. There are no plans at this time for a replacement WirtshausWiesn 2021.
